Bruce Brye

Bruce Arlo Brye, 84, of Signal Mountain, passed away at his home on January 21, 2022.

Bruce was born in Waverly, Iowa, and graduated from Waverly High School. He then received a B.A. in math and chemistry at Wartburg Collee and a B.S. in civil engineering and M.S. in sanitary engineering at the University of Iowa. He married his high school sweetheart, Jean Robertson, while he was still at the U of I.

At Wartburg Bruce twice was named a wrestling All-American after his second place finishes in the heavyweight division of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics national tournaments.

Bruce moved to Signal Mountain in 1963 to begin work at Tennessee Valley Authority, where he later was named Chief of the Water Quality Branch. He also was responsible for the assessment of the impact on water quality of nuclear plant construction in the Tennessee Valley.

Bruce was an active member of Signal Mountain Baptist Church (now The Point Church at Signal), where among other positions, he served as deacon, Sunday school teacher, building steering committee chairman, counting committee chairman and the church’s main representative for a major building project.

Bruce regularly could be found serving as head scorer at area high school wrestling tournaments and for Red Bank High dual meets. In 2015 he received the Walt Lauter Lifetime Achievement award at the Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame banquet. The next year the state chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame presented Bruce a Lifetime Service to Wrestling award.

Bruce loved to water ski at Chickamauga Lake, to spend time in Florida with his brother-in-law’s family and especially to take friends to his hometown for a week of pheasant hunting each fall. Those around Bruce considered him a trustworthy friend and worker.

He was preceded in death by his parents, M. O. and Lydia Brye, and his stepmother, Dorothy Brye.

Bruce is survived by Jean, his wife of 61 years; brother, James (Mary) Brye; brother-in-law, Robert (Lois) Robertson; and several nieces and nephews.

A service to celebrate Bruce’s life will be held at 2:00 pm Monday, January 31, 2022, at Coulter Chapel of Lane Funeral Home. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made in Bruce’s name to The Pointe Church at Signal building fund.

Arrangements are entrusted to Lane Funeral Home, 601 Ashland Terrace, Chattanooga, TN 37415, (423) 877-3524, lanefh.com.