Bruce Milton MacKay, age 68, of Andover died Wednesday, July 2, 2008, at the Connecticut Hospice in Branford. After graduating from Boston University with a Bachelors Degree in Aeronautical Engineering, he came to Connecticut to work for Pratt & Whitney Aircraft. Bruce continued his education at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and completed his MBA at the University of Hartford. In 1999, he retired after a 36-year career in Quality Control at Pratt & Whitney. For many years, Bruce was an active member of the American Society for Quality Control and served as Chairman of its Hartford Chapter. He also belonged to the American Society for Non-Destructive Test, and taught classes in non-destructive test at Hartford State Technical College. As a young man, Bruce enjoyed downhill skiing and ice hockey. As a street rod enthusiast, he appreciated and restored cars of the 1950s. Bruce built a 1927 T Roadster reproduction. He was an organic gardener for many years, and owned a certified oak and maple tree farm. With his friend, Gordon Howard, he cut and split firewood as part of a forest management plan to develop a sugar bush. Bruce made maple syrup in the sugar house he designed and built himself on the forty acres he called Maple Brook Farm. He was a member of the Connecticut Maple Syrup Producers Association. Bruce hand-built a summer cottage and outbuildings in Vermont from lumber harvested from evergreen trees on his property there. He especially enjoyed the beauty of wide pine boards and made many pieces of furniture, including tables, dressers, clocks and six board blanket chests. He renovated the kitchens in his Andover and Vermont homes with extensive hand-made raised panel cabinets. He considered himself "a carpenter who made furniture, not a cabinet maker." He started each day early with a plan for the day, and continued this pattern after he retired. During retirement he discovered the joy of vacationing in St. John U.S. Virgin Islands, and returned every winter. The warm water, snorkeling and casual atmosphere restored his soul. Much to his surprise, the arrival of grandchildren brought him more pleasure than he had anticipated. He was a better grandfather than any of his family would have predicted. Bruce had a good life. Bruce is survived by Carol, his devoted wife of 45 years; his son Brian and wife Kristin of Ayer, MA; his daughter Michelle and husband Yann of Manhattan, NY; twin sons Scott of Manchester, CT, and Kevin and his wife Darcie of Andover; a brother Gary and wife Helen of Myrtle Beach, SC; and seven grandchildren. Friends may call on Friday, July 11 from 5 PM to 8 PM at the Tierney Funeral Home, 219 West Center St, Manchester, CT. Funeral services will be held Saturday, July 12 at 11 AM at the First Congregational Church of Andover, 359 Route 6, Andover, CT burial will follow in Townsend Cemetery. Bruce's family is grateful to his caring friends, John, Gordon and Dennis, who consistently provided companionship and support during his illness and who took him out to breakfast every Thursday. Visiting Nurses and Health Services of Connecticut, especially Susan Phelps RN and Bonnie Contois provided superior home care for Bruce during the many months of his illness. Special thanks go out to Doctor Gregory Riely of Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital, and to the dedicated staff and doctors at Connecticut Hospice. Memorial donations may be made to Lung Cancer Research Foundation, 800 Third Avenue - 4th floor, New York, NY 10022.