This site is dedicated to the memory of Bruce Furst.
Bruce, age 61, passed away unexpectedly but peacefully on June 6th. Bruce was born on October 21, 1949 in New York, to Herbert Furst and Judith Halpern. He is survived by his wife Vickie, his son Brett, his mother Judith Grogins, his step-mother Sandra Furst, his brothers Joel Furst, Jay Furst, and Danny Grogins, his sister Sheryl Furst Heier and too many nieces, nephews and cousins to name.
Bruce grew up on the East Coast and graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a BS Degree in Business. Bruce played on the Colorado soccer team as a midfielder and also served as the captain of the team. An avid and accomplished skier since childhood, Bruce spent many days on the Colorado slopes in between his studies and soccer commitments. Upon graduation, Bruce moved to Northern California where he began a career in teaching and accounting. Bruce taught in a number of public high schools in the Bay Area prior to establishing a local accounting practice.
At Thanksgiving, 2002, Bruce met Vickie, the love of his life. Vickie brought passion, energy, and joy into his life. On November 19, 2006, Bruce and Vickie were married at the Cliff House in San Francisco. Bruce and Vickie were true soul mates sharing a passion for sports, the outdoors, life, and each other.
Bruce took great pride and joy in the relationship he shared with his son, Brett. A highlight of Bruce’s life came shortly before his passing when he was able to witness Brett’s graduation from Cal State University-Monterey Bay in late May.
Bruce was stricken with kidney disease in his 30's and eventually lost both his kidneys. Despite this, he continued to live an extraordinarily active life. He worked, skied all the expert slopes of the Sierras, attended Cal basketball games, and most of all, coached youth soccer. For better than 40 years, Bruce coached school and club soccer teams at just about every youth age level. A recounting of his coaching experience would literally take several pages. He experienced the delight of coaching his son's Montclair Soccer Club teams and moved on to coach many Bay Oaks Soccer Club teams. One of Bruce's girls' teams won the Northern California state championship and he took another girls' team to the finals of the state championship. He also took one of his boys' teams to the semi-finals of the state championship. Many of Bruce's players went on to play college soccer. Bruce's trophy shelf contains more "hardware" than Home Depot. More than the championships, Bruce leaves a legacy of positively influencing the lives of every player he coached, the parents of his players, and all the other coaches he mentored. Bruce was a naturally gifted teacher who did so much more than teach the mechanics of the game – he espoused a philosophy of competition that emphasized focus and commitment, winning and losing graciously, sportsmanship and, most importantly, the pure joy that can be found in sports.
A celebration of Bruce's life will be held later this month on a date to be announced. For more information on the upcoming event, please go to http://BruceFurst.blogspot.com. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to: EBUSC-Bruce Furst Scholarship Fund and mailed to 6114 La Salle Ave., Suite 424, Oakland, CA 94611. The scholarship fund will aid low income soccer players as they pursue their passion for the game.
This site is for whomever wants to share their memories, stories, and experiences.
I miss you Brucie, Love, Sheryl
ReplyDeleteSo sorry for your loss, our thoughts and prayers are with your family at this time of grieving
ReplyDeleteMuch Love
Hannah (Faries-Jacobs) Moeller
So sorry for your loss. He will be so, so missed. Youth soccer has lost
ReplyDeletea great soccer coach as well as a great human being!
Our love and prayers to the family.
Love,
Ed, Molly, Michaela & Geoff Bantilan
Bay Oaks Alumni
Brucie, Brucie, Brucie.....way too young. We will miss you so much. Always the twinkle in the eye that could light up a whole room....love, you......mer
ReplyDeleteOur condolences to Vickie and Brett. Thank you for sharing Bruce with us while he coached Margaret for two Bay Oaks seasons. I'll never forget the image of Bruce sitting in his lawn chair, watching the girls play. He looked cool even on the hottest day.
ReplyDeleteLove,
The Huntington Family
Jim, Joyce, Katie, Margaret and Will.
I won't ever watch a youth soccer game again without thinking of him. And I'm finding it hard to believe that we'll never again get to have phone conversations or dinner conversations or conversations on the soccer field about all the things he liked to talk about. When you know someone this long--25-plus years--and see them in so many different situations, you think they'll be there forever. Guess it doesn't work that way. Goodbye Bruce. I'm glad I knew you all those years.
ReplyDeleteEric
My thoughts and prayers go out to Vickie, Brett, and Bruce's entire family. He was such a class act. A very nice guy with a great sense of humor. I didn't get to spend that much time with him, but I treasure the memories of the times we were together at the Sedlak house. He always put a smile on my face. Rest in peace...
ReplyDeleteMike Bierscheid
Roseville, MN
My daughter played on Bruce & Michael's Bombers '93 team during 2007-09, so I got to know him a little. Here is a short video tribute showing Bruce doing what he loved. We are thankful for all he did for our daughter & her teammates and for Bay Oaks SC.
ReplyDeleteMonte Merritt
What a terrific teacher and coach. I had the pleasure of having him as my high school tennis team coach and teacher in accounting. My thoughts and prayers are with Bruce's family and friends.
ReplyDeleteI don't even know where to start. It's funny because about 6 months ago "Mr Furst" was on my mind in a big way, and I tried to find a way to connect with him but could not.
ReplyDeleteMr Furst was my coach at Piedmont High and on a club team in the GGWSL. This was ... years ago ;) I went on to play for Stanford in the 80's and being on a Varsity team enhanced my college experience in so many ways. I know I wouldn't have gotten that opportunity without Mr Furst - but as a mentor even more than a soccer coach. He was such a big part of my whole high school years - I owe so much to him.
I have 2 soccer-playing kids of my own, and I have coached them both, and it has made me realize even more what a gift Mr Furst had for coaching and leadership and compassion and integrity. I wish we had stayed in touch over the years but I never stopped being grateful for what he gave to me and to his teams.
- Betsy (Swan) Diaz
PHS Class of '83
Mr. Furst was my 9th grade typing teacher, something I am grateful for almost every day when I sit at my computer keyboard. It was about that time he asked a few of us if we wanted to play soccer because he was starting a girl’s team at Piedmont High. That was 30+ years ago.
ReplyDeleteI said at the memorial that in the late 70s it wasn’t like it is now with fields of little girls playing soccer after school. We were new to the game and it was a lot of work and encouragement for us to learn the sport. It took a great coach to make us really love playing.
Bruce was great at giving us confidence and teaching us to be a team. While we didn’t stay in touch, I have stayed in touch with some teammates. A few us even reconnected over the news of his death. That is how strong an impact he had on our lives.
I am so glad to have known Bruce Furst. I am grateful to be a confident woman who enjoys sports and can type pretty well. I definitely credit him with being a positive influence in both those areas.
Soccer has lost a hero, though his spirit is with us still. My sympathy to Vickie, Brett and all the teammates.
Jennifer Beecroft Polishook
JenPolishook@gmail.com
Piedmont High class of 81