Pleasanton 

William (Bill) Alfred Bruckner, Jr., age 87, passed away in Pleasanton, CA on April 9, 2025, after battling lung cancer for the last year.

Bill was born November 21, 1937, in Oakland, CA to Mildred and William Bruckner, Sr. He is the oldest of four brothers. Bill grew up in Castro Valley, CA and graduated from Hayward High School, where he enjoyed photography and even set up a dark room for developing photos in their home basement.

During two years of service in the Coast Guard after high school, Bill developed a love for boats and ships and over the years he enjoyed building beautiful model ships. After returning from the Coast Guard, he married Sharon Lyons on April 4, 1959. They settled in Castro Valley and had two daughters, Cindy and Julie. Bill was a dedicated husband and dad and enjoyed time with family and close friends. He also enjoyed family road trips through scenic California and often visited sites and museums along the way to learn about the history, animals, plants, and geology of the area. Some of his favorite places to visit were Yosemite National Park and Lake Tahoe, as well as “Bruckridge,” a rustic (e.g., no indoor bathroom) Bruckner family cabin in the Santa Cruz mountains. He also enjoyed watching sporting events and for many years had season tickets to the Oakland Raiders football games.

Bill started his career in the lithography business at Brown and Caldwell Engineering in San Francisco in the late 1950s and excelled at drafting and developing negatives and plates for printing, which required intricate work on light tables to design the document layouts for printing. In the early 1960s, Bill and his brother Bob purchased and spun out the printing business (Techni-Graphics) from Brown and Caldwell Engineering.

Techni-Graphics thrived on Jessie Street in downtown San Francisco (near 5th and Market Steet) for many years.

Their lithography business expanded from printing engineering schematics to other areas such as printing menus for high-end Bay Area restaurants and working directly with artists to print their artwork and posters.

Techni-Graphics was a small family business that included the four Bruckner brothers (Bill, Bob, Ed, and Jack) and a handful of other employees. When growing up, Cindy and Julie often worked at Techni-Graphics during the summer and joined their dad on his daily lunchtime walks in San Francisco. During these long walks he warmly greeted (often by their first name) the neighborhood shop owners, residents, and homeless people along the way, and treated everyone with kindness and respect regardless of their background.

Bill especially treasured visits with his five grandkids (Nathan, Jonny, Allie, Andrew, and Hannah) and enjoyed gatherings with family over holidays and on vacations. A highlight in recent years was the annual family get together at the Ashland Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Bill and Sharon also loved visiting Lake Tahoe and playing slot machines at the casinos.

Bill retired in 2010 at age 72, and Bill and Bob sold Techni-Graphics and the associated building. After retirement, Bill and Sharon moved to Pleasanton, CA, and they enjoyed living in the Ironwood Village neighborhood.

They participated in Ironwood Village events such as the Bocce Ball tournament, where Bill and Sharon were two-time league champions with another couple (the amazing foursome was known as the “Knockouts”). During retirement Bill also continued to enjoy long visits with close friends, puzzles, bonsai gardening, and building various models. Bill was a life-long learner and stayed active throughout his retirement, even after his knee replacement and during cancer treatments, often walking 10,000 steps per day. Bill and Sharon celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary on April 4, a few days before his death.

Bill will always be in the hearts of family and friends and remembered for his kindness, respect for all people, work ethic, love of nature and animals, talent for gardening (especially bonsai trees), and contagious laughter (until the point of tears).

Bill is survived by his wife Sharon Bruckner, and daughters Cindy (Scott Lea) Bruckner-Lea and Julie (Bud) Baxter. His five grandchildren include Nathan Lea (Katie Newman), Jonny Baxter, Allie Baxter, Andrew Lea (Andrew Supron), and Hannah (Kris) Kuhn. He is also survived by his brothers Bob and Jack Bruckner. Bill was preceded in death by his brother Ed Bruckner, and his parents Mildred and Bill Bruckner, Sr.

No services will be held per Bill’s request, and his ashes will be scattered at sea off the coast of Marin County, CA.

Donations in Bill’s name can be made to the charity of your choice in support of education, strong communities, animals, nature, or cancer research.