Bruce Sankey, a veteran newspaper journalist who became the founding editor of Bus & Motorcoach News and a leading voice in the motorcoach industry, died Sept. 7 in Oklahoma City after a monthlong illness. He was 82.
Kenneth Bruce Sankey’s life spanned more than four decades in journalism, where colleagues remember him for his accuracy, thoroughness, and integrity.
“Bruce was never afraid to tackle tough issues, always making sure bus operators remained informed on issues that affect their business,” said Victor S. Parra, former CEO of the United Motorcoach Association. “He was an exceptional editor.”
Ken Presley, UMA’s vice president of legislative and regulatory affairs, added, “For those of us who worked closely with Bruce, we recognize his era was truly unique and exceptional. His influence endures.”
Dave Millhouser, a former Bus & Motorcoach News columnist, recalled Sankey’s clear-eyed perspective.
“He came from outside our industry, learned it thoroughly, and brought a fresh, trained journalist’s perspective,” Millhouser said. “He told the truth even when that came with great risk.”
Distinguished journalism career
Sankey was born in Akron, Ohio, and grew up in Kingman, Kansas, and Phoenix. He graduated from Central High School in Phoenix and joined the U.S. Army in 1962, serving nearly three years in Albuquerque, New Mexico. After his service, he earned a journalism degree from Wichita State University in 1972, where he worked as a reporter and editor for the student newspaper, The Sunflower.
Sankey launched his professional career as a business reporter for the Wichita Eagle, where he met his first wife, Mary. He later worked as a business writer for the Memphis Commercial Appeal, where his reporting included investigative articles on local businesses. Their son, Tim, was born during the couple’s years in Memphis.
He went on to serve as business and city editor at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, where he was twice elected president of the St. Louis Press Club. Colleagues there recalled his upbeat nature; a staff note once quipped he was “the only smiling news editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.”
In 1985, Sankey returned to Phoenix to work for the Arizona Republic, befriending fellow journalists Hal Mattern and Frank Turco, who would later work with him in the bus and motorcoach industry. He later served as deputy assistant director for the Arizona Department of Commerce.
Career shift
Sankey’s career eventually steered toward the transportation sector. In the 1990s, he edited and published Bus Ride Magazine in Spokane, Washington, alongside associate Bill Luke. He later returned to Phoenix to become the founding editor of Bus & Motorcoach News, launched by the United Motorcoach Association during the 2007–08 financial crisis.
Under Sankey’s leadership, the publication became a vital source of timely information for bus operators. He continued editing the paper after relocating to Oklahoma City in 2007.
Neighbors in Oklahoma City remember Sankey as an energetic advocate for his community, volunteering on his homeowners association board and taking on local causes with the same determination he brought to journalism. His informative emails made “miscreant” a household word among friends.
Outside his professional life, Sankey enjoyed classic films on Turner Classic Movies, attending car shows, and following sports, including the University of Oklahoma softball. He was also a regular blood donor.
Sankey was preceded in death by his father, Kenneth Bruce Sankey, and his mother, Jeanette Penwell Sankey Murfin; his brother, Charles David Sankey; and his high school friend Cathy Klaver.
He is survived by his son, Tim (Xiomara); niece, Gaylan and her son Eli; nephew, David (Cheri); former wife, Eva Puri; sister-in-law, Elma; and many special friends, including the Pecheux-Klaver family and Mary, who, along with Tim, stayed by his side at the hospital.
In keeping with his wishes, no public service is planned. His ashes will be interred at the Trinity Episcopal Church columbarium in El Dorado, Kansas, beside his mother and brother.
Friends and colleagues say Sankey embodied a quote he admired from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”
