IECC mourns the death of Terry Bruce

Monday, April 20, 2026 at 1:49 PM

By Steve Anderson

The Illinois Eastern Community College District #529 is mourning the death of former Chief Executive Officer Terry Bruce.

Bruce passed away on April 17th. He served as the IECC CEO from 1996 until his retirement in 2019. Over those 23 years, he helped guide the district through a period of significant transformation while maintaining a strong commitment to students, employees. and the communities served by the IECC.

In addition to his leadership of the IECC, Bruce also served on the Illinois Community College Board including a stint as Vice-Chair. Earlier in his career, he served in both the Illinois Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives and played a key role in advancing education and public service in southern Illinois.

Visitation for Terry Bruce will be from 5 until 7 p.m. Friday, April 24th and funeral services Saturday, April 25th at 10 a.m. both at the Kistler-Patterson Funeral Home in Olney, Illinois.