Bruce Gregory Topping
March 23, 1959 – August 14, 2025

Bruce Gregory Topping passed away on Thursday, August 14, 2025, at the age of 66 from an apparent cardiac arrest on the way to a medical appointment in Placentia, California. He was preceded in death by his father, Kenneth Clarke Topping, on March 5, 2021, and his mother, Phyllis Beth Topping, on May 13, 2023. He is survived by his brother, David Topping, David's wife Jody, their two children, Ryan Topping and Erika Hoffman, first cousins Richard Fridell, Nancy Acosta, and Bayete Henderson, and many others in branches of the family in California, Arizona, Oregon, and Ohio.

Bruce was born in Covina, California on March 23, 1959, where he lived until the family moved to Redlands, California in 1973. He graduated from Redlands Senior High School in 1977, where he was active in band and choir. He then moved to Orange, California, to attend Chapman College (now Chapman University), where his primary instrument was double bass and where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education.

Not long after graduation from Chapman, Bruce began his long and successful career of teaching instrumental music to young people, as a public-school teacher, an instructor of private music lessons, and through involvement with youth orchestras. Most of his 40-year teaching career was spent at schools in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District, where he taught both bands and orchestras at Travis Ranch School, eventually transitioning to string orchestras at Kraemer Middle School and Valencia High School.

He served for ten years as the Associate Conductor of the Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra, conducting "Concerts for Fifth Graders" at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. During his later years of teaching, the six orchestras at the two schools had a combined total of over four hundred students, consistently receiving honors and high ratings at music festivals. He also regularly took groups to perform at Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm. He was the recipient of a number of honors and awards during his distinguished teaching career and was a member of many professional organizations.

Bruce performed professionally on double bass in symphony orchestras, chamber ensembles, and jazz groups throughout California. He taught double bass as a part-time faculty member at California State University, Fullerton and served as bass clinician for the SCSBOA Honor Orchestras, SCSBOA Honor Jazz Ensembles, Orange County Youth Symphony, the Southern California Youth Philharmonic, and Idyllwild Summer Arts Program. He also served as guest conductor of honor orchestras throughout Southern California. In addition, many of his private bass students perform professionally in symphonies, jazz venues, and studios throughout the United States.

In addition to his musical pursuits, Bruce was an avid surfer and sailor. He enjoyed hiking, camping, cross-country skiing, and other outdoor activities. He spent a lot of time gardening at his house in Carbon Canyon, and especially enjoyed bamboo plants, due in part to the missionary activities of his ancestors in Japan, where he made several visits during his lifetime.

Bruce's sudden passing was a shock to his family, friends, colleagues, and students. Tributes have been posted online by students and colleagues, and the family has received condolences from both near and far, as he made an enormous contribution to the lives of thousands of students, both to their musical education and also to their development as human beings. Details about a celebration of his life have not yet been completed, but the family plans to place his remains at rest near those of his parents in Redlands, California.