Bruce G. Herron

Bruce G. Herron, 72, of Paw Paw, passed away unexpectedly on May, 23, 2026, at his home in Paw Paw, Michigan.

Bruce was born on April 15, 1954, in Royal Oak, Michigan, to Clarence R. Herron and Bette J. Herron.

When Bruce was very young, the family moved to Fraser, Michigan, where he attended school through graduation. He then went to Michigan State University for two years until he decided to pursue other opportunities in his life. While at MSU, he met his future wife, Susan "Sue" L. Smith, from Lawrence, Michigan. They were married in 1974.

While his wife finished her degree, he started what would become the passion of his life, guitars. He took lessons and developed his playing skills and then went on to start building guitars in the late 1970's. He continued building and repairing many types of stringed instruments until his death as the Blue Star Guitar Company. He had his first shop for several years in Ganges, Michigan, before moving to his current home and shop north of Paw Paw. His electric instruments found their way around the world, going to England, Australia, and Japan to name a few!

Some of Bruce's other interests were racing motorcycles, open wheel modified midgets, and stock cars. He also participated in Cowboy Action Shooting for a while and continued to target shoot in the backyard. He collected cowboy memorabilia, with Tim Holt as one of his favorites. He was a transported city boy, having a love for living in the country, camping and fishing. He always stayed true to his Detroit roots, being a lifelong fan of the Detroit Tigers, Lions and Red Wings, along with his beloved MSU Spartan sports.

Bruce is survived by his loving wife, Sue Herron; brother, Garry Herron; sister-in-law, Betty Pries; brother-in-law, Jim Smith, along with several nieces and nephews.

Bruce was preceded in passing by his parents, his in-laws, Wendell and Lois Smith of Lawrence, and his sister. Bruce will be missed by his many customers, for whom he dedicated great lengths of time to build custom instruments for, make repairs, and working to get them just right. 

Cremation has taken place. A graveside service and time of visiting will take place at a later date this fall.