Bruce Dyer

Bruce Washington Dyer, 79, of Waco, passed away Tuesday, March 22, 2011, at his residence.

A memorial service will be 10 a.m., Saturday, April 2, 2010 at Seventh & James Baptist Church. A reception for family and friends will follow in Harper Hall next to the sanctuary.

Bruce was born September 15, 1931 in Hornbeak, Tenn., to Bryce W. Dyer, Sr. and Annie Johnson. He grew up in West Tennessee, and graduated from Union City High School in 1949. During his senior year, he was leader of high school dance band called the Rhythm Rascals and then married the band's pianist and his high school sweetheart, Dorothy Ams.

At the age of 17, he hitchhiked to St. Louis, Mo., to try out for the St. Louis Cardinals Baseball team. Unfortunately, he was too young to make the team. After graduation, he worked at a local bank in Union City for two years, then at the age of 21, became the assistant administrator at Obion County General Hospital. This started a long career as a hospital and medical group administrator.

In 1957, he and his family moved to El Paso, where he was the assistant administrator of Providence Hospital. He then worked briefly for a local CBS affiliate station in El Paso and a UHF station in Dallas.

At that time, he went back into medical management for the balance of his career. He managed medical clinics in Dallas, Marion, OH, Wichita, Kan; and Waco. In Waco, he was administrator for the Hillcrest Medical Clinics, opening several clinics during his career, until he retired in 1996.

When he retired, he and his wife opened a bed and breakfast in Waco called the Judge Baylor House B&B. They operated the B&B for almost 15 years until the time of his death.

He was a member of Seventh & James Baptist Church, a volunteer for Meals on Wheels, and a member of the Woodway city council of for several years.

He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Dorothy Ams Dyer; four children, Alan Dyer, Anne Speights, Aaron Dyer and wife, Alice, and Amy Rye and husband, Nate; sisters, Ann Veghte and husband, Jim, and Peggy Bauman and husband, Bill; and grandchildren, Holly Speights, Claire McGrath, Nathan Dyer, and Meredith Dyer.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Digestive Disease Research Center at Scott and White Hospital, 2401 S. 31st, Temple, TX. 76508, or to Meal on Wheels at Seventh & James Baptist Church, 602 James Avenue, Waco, TX 76706.