Bruce Sears Barden

Rev. Bruce Sears Barden was born on March 17, 1936, in Syracuse, New York, to James Edward Barden and Florence Reed Sears Barden. He passed away peacefully on March 10, 2026, at Winter Growth Memory Care in Olney, Maryland, while residing in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Bruce served on active duty in the US Army in Germany from 1958 to 1959, followed by six years in the reserves. He graduated Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Allegheny College in 1966 and earned a Master of Divinity with First Honors from Yale University in 1969. Ordained as an Elder in the United Methodist Church that same year, he faithfully served congregations in Lansing, New York; Painted Post, New York; Oneida, New York; and as Mohawk District Superintendent before retiring from Andrews Memorial Church in North Syracuse, New York, in 2000. In retirement, he continued to serve churches including Gethsemane, Cazenovia/Nelson/Erieville, and Little Utica. Throughout his ministry, he served on numerous boards, including the Syracuse Westside Urban Mission, the Board of Trustees for the North Central New York Conference of the United Methodist Church, the Board of Ordained Ministry, and local Councils of Churches. He led many mission work trips to Boston, Washington, DC, Redbird Mission in Kentucky, Haiti, and other places, and directed youth summer camps at Casowasco Summer Camp and Conference Center on Owasco Lake in Moravia, New York, for more than 25 years.

He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Kathleen Bulford Barden of Silver Spring, Maryland; his daughter, Kristen Lee Barden (Kevin Kapel) of Washington, DC; his brother, Lynn James Barden (Lynne Wessel Barden) of Gaithersburg, Maryland; and many cousins. He was preceded in death by his son, Andrew Sears Barden; his cousin, Shirley Sears Mills; and both of his parents.

A man of deep faith, Bruce possessed a trained voice that enriched many church choirs and occasional solos. An avid reader of the daily newspaper and a gifted woodworker, his hands were often marked by newsprint or sawdust. He held great admiration for J.K. Rowling, George Lucas, and Karl Barth.