Major Bruce J. Shore, USMC, Retired

Major Bruce J. Shore

Bruce J. Shore, a retired major with the United States Marine Corps, a banker with Schenectady Trust (TrustCo), and a longtime resident of Colonie, died peacefully on Friday, Jan. 20, 2017, at Capital Living Nursing Home in Schenectady, surrounded by his children and devoted caregivers. He was 88.

Major Shore was born on April 20, 1928 in Sioux City, Iowa to Glenn J. and Esther Currier Shore. He grew up in Algona, Iowa and graduated from Algona High School in 1945.

He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in September 1945. He served in Japan and Korea and was commissioned an officer in 1952.

Major Shore married Harriett L. Hobble of Needles, California in 1954. They had five children and made their permanent home in Colonie from 1964 to 2013.

After successive promotions, Major Shore was assigned to the Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Training Center in Albany in 1964 before serving in Vietnam as Battalion Executive Officer at Da Nang and Dong Ha in 1967 and as Assistant Camp Commandant at Dong Ha through 1968. He completed his military service at Marine headquarters in Arlington, Virginia where he was head of reserve individual training for the Marine Corps before he retired in 1969.

After retiring from the Marines, Major Shore attended Schenectady County Community College and graduated with a bachelor of science degree in economics and computer science from the University at Albany in 1973. He joined The Schenectady Trust Company in 1973 and served as assistant treasurer and branch manager, assisting in the introduction of computers and the transition to the bank’s current organization as TrustCo Bank until his retirement in 1986.

Major Shore volunteered for many years as treasurer and board member for the Federation for the Prevention of Child Abuse, now known as Prevent Child Abuse New York. He served as a scouting advisor and worked with Explorers for many years in the Albany and Schenectady areas, as well as with Scout troops visiting bases wherever he was stationed.

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Bruce J. Shore is survived by his children: Laura Shore and Nancy Ota of Altamont; Robert “Bob” Shore of West Berne; Jaye Shore Freyer and Frederick Freyer of Eastchester, New York; Donald Shore of Rock City Falls, New York; and Margaret Shore Illis and William Illis of Berkeley Heights, New Jersey.

He is also survived by his grandchildren, Harrison Tyler Shore, Frederic Jason Freyer, Brendan Illis, Sarah Illis, Peter Illis, Kathryn Illis, and godson Victor Tomelden, as well as by his siblings, William Spencer Shore, Clifford Shore and Shirley Shore, Mary Shore Moon and Jerold Moon, and Caroline Shore Tharp and George Tharp.

His wife, Harriett Hobble Shore, died before him, as did his son’s wife, Linda Ellett, and his brother, Jesse Arthur Shore.

Interment with military honors will be at 2 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 27, at the Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery in Schuylerville, New York. The family welcomes visitors to celebrate his life on Saturday, Jan. 28, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Fredendall Funeral Home, 199 Main Street in Altamont.

Memorial contributions may be made to Prevent Child Abuse/New York, 33 Elk St., # 2, Albany, NY 12207.

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