I am blessed to have many friends, but I regretfully lost a very dear one on September 24, 2019—Bruce Carter. Bruce graduated law school one class ahead of me, and unlike many of us who pursued the more lucrative areas of law, Bruce dedicated his career to public service. In his final years, he worked in the field of Medicare/Medicaid for the state government and became THE go-to guy on the subject in South Carolina. Aside from his vocation, Bruce loved his family; he married to his longtime best friend, Judy, and had two daughters. He made it his life’s mission to serve his God, his family, his church, and his community. He was a pious man with incredible intellect and compassion. When Associate Director of our beloved St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields, Susan Prinz, delivered the homily during Bruce’s service on Wednesday, her message rang powerfully and true when she described Bruce as being summed up in a single word: he was a man of heart.

Not only was Bruce a devoted family man, he was one of the most active parishioners at our beloved St. Martin’s. He served as a lector, vestry member, and participated in numerous outreach ministries with the church. When he developed symptoms of heart disease several years ago, he became an avid volunteer with the South Carolina Heart Association, and still found the time to work at the Diocesan level as an expert on canon (church) law.

Bruce was, without question, a great man, and he will be sorely missed. I, for one, will miss our conversations about politics, Gamecock athletics, and our church and community. Still, it brings a smile to my face to think about those talks, and how many of them took place in the aisles of the Forest Drive Kroger, where we always seemed to run in to one another. It is strange to think that our paths will not intersect again in this life; that he is gone. But be that as it may, Bruce will never be forgotten. May he rest in peace.