Bruce Fuller Houston, master plumber and church leader, has died at 87
He studied plumbing and heating at Dobbins Tech and became one of the youngest Black men to earn a city certification as a master plumber.
Bruce Fuller Houston, 87, of Philadelphia, longtime master plumber, elder and trustee at Berean Presbyterian Church, volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, three-sport high school athlete, mentor, consultant, and veteran, died Thursday, Sept. 11, of coronary artery disease at a rehabilitation center.
Born in Philadelphia to a family that traces its American roots to 1692, Mr. Houston grew up on Grays Ferry Avenue in South Philadelphia and then Girard Avenue in North Philadelphia. He attended Richard Allen A.M.E. Church with his mother and two brothers when he was young, and his brother Robert said: “He enjoyed serving the Lord.”
Mr. Houston played basketball, ran cross-country and track and field, and represented Murrell Dobbins Career and Technical Education High School at the Penn Relays. He studied plumbing and heating at Dobbins, graduated in 1955, and became one of the youngest Black men, if not the youngest, to earn a city certification as a master plumber.
Over the next 60 years, he cofounded Houston & Smith Plumbing & Heating in 1958, helped establish the Amalgamated Plumbers Association of Philadelphia in 1964, mentored dozens of other plumbers, and finally served as an industry consultant. He retired about five years ago.
“He took great pride in mentoring others in his chosen craft,” his brother Robert said.
Mr. Houston also attended night classes and earned a degree in business and economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He was active on the financial oversight board, men’s Bible study group, and men’s council at Berean Presbyterian, and helped organize its annual jazz festival and other events.
He made annual missions with the church and Habitat for Humanity to provide plumbing and heating services to underserved communities. In 1994, he spent eight days on a church project in rural Maine.
He served in the Pennsylvania National Guard in the early 1960s and told the Daily News in 1985 that Eagles players Ted Dean and Timmy Brown served with him in the 103rd Engineer Battalion. He earned a citizenship award from the Union League and a service award from Berean Presbyterian, and was named a YMCA boy of the month and trainee of the week by the National Guard.
“He was a great big brother,” said his brother Robert. “He was generous with his time, finances, and talents.”
Bruce Fuller Houston was born Dec. 27, 1937, in Philadelphia. The middle of three sons, he lived in Mount Airy as an adult and was profiled in 1994 in the Daily News feature “One of Us.”
He met Esther Ford at Berean Presbyterian, and they married and had sons Jason and Eric. They divorced later and remained devoted to each other. His wife and sons died earlier.
Mr. Houston enjoyed movies and theatrical shows. He listened to jazz and followed the local sports teams.
He liked telling stories and recounting his family’s long and colorful history at reunions. “His main hobbies were his work and his church,” his brother Robert said. “He had a life well-lived and blessed, and we are grateful he shared it with us.”
In addition to his brother, Mr. Houston is survived by other relatives. A brother died earlier.
Services were held on Sept. 27.
Donations in his name may be made to the building fund at Berean Presbyterian Church, 2101 N. Broad St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19122.