Bruce A. Mikolon, 68, of Bordentown Township, died from Covid-19 illness on Sunday, November 29, 2020.  Born in Buffalo on April 5, 1952, he grew up in Cheektowaga and learned to love and play the cello at a young age.  Bruce attended Houghton College and finished his bachelor's and master's degree in cello performance in 1981 at Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

Bruce met his wife Susan in a young adult's Bible study group and were married nearly 40 years ago.

He spent a year as cellist in the Thunder Bay Ontario Symphony and three years in Wheeling, West Virginia as part of a resident string quartet that played around the state in area orchestras and as string teachers in area colleges.  When funding for the program expired, he took a job teaching high school orchestra in New Jersey.  Bruce taught music for many years at South Plainfield Schools for the elementary and high school orchestra, and also established a high school class for guitar lessons for students that were not involved in the band or orchestra.

Bruce's greatest love was cello performance and he played with many groups, including the St. Peter's By the Sea Orchestra, Capitol Philharmonic, Staten Island Orchestra, Newtown Chamber Orchestra, and the Boheme Opera of New Jersey.  He especially enjoyed playing his cello or guitar at his church, Allentown Presbyterian Church, where he was active, serving as a deacon, musician, and participating in several mission trips.

Bruce is survived and will be sorely missed by his wife Susan; his son and daughter-in-law, David and Melissa Mikolon; his daughter, Emily and her son Owen.  He is also survived by his parents, Clifford and Dolores Mikolon of West Seneca, NY; his sister and brother-in-law, Linda and Jim Orgar of Rochester, NY, and their children and spouses, Robin and Simon Bailey of St. Louis, John Orgar, and Meredith and Daniel Kim of Rochester; his brother and sister-in-law, Brian and Susan and their daughter Becca of Lancaster, NY; his aunts and uncle, Wanda and Richard Bunce of Media PA, and Vivian Zaboroski of Erie, PA.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, December 12 ^th at 1pm at the Allentown Presbyterian Church.  Virtual attendance is encouraged, as attendance is limited. To view the live service go to https://youtu.be/ScvHey84fsc

Memorial contributions may be made in Bruce's name to the Salvation Army at www.salvationarmyusa.org, HomeFront at www.homefrontnj.org, the Allentown Community Good Neighbor Fund C/O the Allentown Presbyterian Church, 20 High St., Allentown, NJ 08501, or to the Mercy Corps, COVID-19 Resilience Fund at www.mercycorps.org.