Tena (Kuiper) Bruce, 76, of Portage, MI (formerly of Mattawan & Bitely, MI), passed away on July 31, 2020 in Kalamazoo.
Tena was born during WWII in The Hague, The Netherlands to the late Hendrik and Roelfien "Ruth" (Hazelhoff) Kuiper on August 24, 1943. In 1956, Tena moved to the US with her family and settled in Kalamazoo, MI. She graduated from Central High School in 1961. Tena was united in marriage on May 7, 1965 to John C Bruce, who preceded her in death in Oct of 1995. She was also preceded in death by her special friend Terry Chapman in Aug of 2014. She worked in the elementary lunch room at Mattawan Schools, at IRDC in Mattawan and National City in Oshtemo, retiring in Dec 1999. Tena enjoyed crocheting, knitting, painting, ceramics, bowling and traveling. She volunteered as a Den Mother for BSA Pack 161 in Mattawan, was a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles in Lawton & Paw Paw, and was a member of the Kalamazoo Helping Hands CB Radio Club.

Tena is survived by 4 children: Angela (Jim) Copeland and John Bruce of Lawton, Heather (Shawn) Gleason of Mattawan, and Christopher Mark Bruce. She is also survived by a daughter-in-law, Catherine Cronin Bruce, of Grove City, OH; a sister, Angela Diver of Durham, NC; 8 Grandchildren: James (Samantha) Copeland of Vicksburg, Shaun (Melissa) Copeland and Karinna "KC" Copeland of Lawton, Cody Copeland of Cedar, MI, Oakley and Sebastian Gleason of Mattawan, and Chris and Kailee Bruce of Columbus, OH; 4 Great Grandchildren; 2 nieces - Jodie (Kevin) Jones and Deb (James) Sears and 2 nephews - Cary (Tammy) Kuiper and Ron (Priya) Diver. Also preceding Tena in death are her father-in-law John C Bruce, mother-in-law Ruth (Glasford) James, her step-father-in-law Clare James, her brother and sister-in-law Bernard "Bernie" and Diane (Toering) Kuiper, and her brother-in-law Robert Diver.
At Tena's request, cremation has taken place. A memorial service will be scheduled at a later date.
Memorial donations may be made to Shriners Hospitals for Children, Attn: Office of Development, 2900 N. Rocky Point Dr, Tampa, FL 33607 or online at https://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/shc/donate. The family wishes to extend their gratitude to the caregivers at Medilodge of Portage and the West Michigan Cancer Center.