Bruce A Nordstrom

Bruce Nordstrom was a grandson of John W. Nordstrom, the company’s Swedish immigrant founder, Mr. Nordstrom was part of the third generation of the family to run the company jointly, sharing power and making decisions by consensus. He died on Saturday May 18 2024 at his home in Seattle. He was 90. He shared leadership of the firm with his cousins John N. Nordstrom and Jim Nordstrom, who were brothers, and Jack McMillan, who was married to their cousin Loyal Nordstrom. The Nordstrom family, starting with Bruce’s father, Everett, and Everett’s brothers Elmer and Lloyd, decided that they could be more effective as co-leaders of the company, which was founded in 1901 in Seattle. Bruce Allen Nordstrom was born in Seattle on Oct. 1, 1933. His mother, Elizabeth (Jones) Nordstrom, who was known as Libby, was an accomplished singer who performed on the radio. He went on to receive his bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington in Seattle. While finishing college, he met Fran Wakeman, a freshman from Seattle, and after an on-again, off-again romance for years, the couple married. They had three sons, Blake, Peter and Erik, all of whom went to work for Nordstrom. Bruce Nordstrom retired in 2006 as chairman and Forbes estimated his new wealth at moe than $1 billion. Fran Nordstrom died in 1984. Four years later, Mr. Nordstrom married Jeannie O’Roark. His oldest son, Blake, died of cancer in 2019. He is survived by his wife; his sons Peter and Erik, who continue to help run the company; a sister, Anne Gittinger; and seven grandchildren.