Bruce Capin Memorial Fund

On November 28, 2022 Bruce Capin passed away and in the days since his death, his community of family, friends, and former students have gathered virtually and in person to express their grief and shock, as well as their gratitude for the impact he made on their lives. This GoFundMe is an opportunity for all who loved Bruce and were impacted by his deeply selfless, giving nature to provide resources toward funeral & memorial expenses and support for Bruce’s wife, Erika.

Bruce had several passions in his life: Erika, fencing, and animals. He approached all of them with a generous heart, selfless nature, and giving spirit. Even when he & Erika were trying to conserve their resources, they always found it in their hearts to help those in need.

“Lessons in Every Leaf and Rock” was Bruce’s philosophy and also the title of his memoirs. As a fencing coach, Bruce was focused not on the final results of a competition, but on the journey each student took to get there. He believed that sport could teach invaluable life lessons and that practice, preparation, and effort would prepare his students not only for competition, but for anything they chose to pursue. Many of his students can still recount stories and lessons that Bruce shared with them both on and off the strip and, as such, his impact on his students extends far beyond their fencing careers.

As a young man, Bruce fenced saber for Penn State University and was ranked on the US National Point Squad from 1985-1995. He was a five time US Olympic Festival athlete and represented the US in the 1987 World University Games and 1990-1991 World Cup Grand Prix. Bruce was humble about his success as a fencer; if he did talk about his time as a competitive athlete, he always emphasized the intense physical and mental preparation he did rather than the results he achieved.

At the time of his death, Bruce was in his 22nd season as Head Coach for the University of Florida Men's and Women's Fencing Teams. Bruce was known in the fencing community as an exceptional three-weapon coach. Throughout his career, Bruce coached hundreds of collegiate students, many of whom went on to significant success in the sport. Most of Bruce’s students began their fencing careers as college freshmen which makes their success all the more impressive. Bruce firmly believed that anyone could be an athlete. Countless students who never dreamed that they would be college athletes had life-changing experiences because Bruce believed in them.

Bruce and Erika also changed the lives of hundreds of animals. For over 20 years, they were the owners and operators of Yahtok’ya Animal Sanctuary in Alachua — a home for mistreated or neglected big cats, specifically cougars, to live out the rest of their lives. They spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to operate the sanctuary often foregoing anything for themselves beyond their basic necessities. In a 2019 interview, Bruce said, “We tell people about how much of a dump of a trailer we live in. It’s a run down double-wide. But when you walk out the front door and you hear the cougars calling you, we’re very wealthy.” The cougars accepted Bruce as one of their own. Without words, Bruce and his cougars displayed a remarkably deep love for and acceptance of one another.

In order to support the sanctuary, Erika works as an Alachua County senior staff assistant and Bruce served as a trusted tournament referee in addition to his role as a coach. He was a beloved friend to his peers, tournament officials, and members of the USA Fencing staff.

The fencing community is small, but Bruce’s presence was larger than life. A memorial is planned for early 2023 so all those who have been touched by Bruce can gather to celebrate the unique and powerful life he led.

Bruce wrote the following called “A Prayer for the Lost Animal”:

I remember every stray, the very day each came my way

And long or short our time together may be

Forever they’ll be a part of me

Without a doubt, Bruce is a part of all those who crossed his path. We are better for it.

This fundraiser is being organized and managed by Bryan da Frota, Jade Falcon, Ben Blaweiss, Marshal Davis, Mary Ellen Mahon, Shayna Weiss, Amir Rubin, and Ashlyn Friend on behalf of Erika Capin.