On November 18, 2021, Bruce lost his courageous battle with COVID. Bruce was a loving husband, supportive father, grandpa, son, brother, brother-in-law, friend, and had many other wonderful relationships with those around him.
Bruce called Gaylord home, even when work called him to other states. Bruce was a very giving man who always put others first. Spending time with family was his number one priority. He shared many memories of hunting and fishing. Bruce could be caught photobombing, dancing in a flowered suit, telling jokes, and looking for any opportunity to bring others joy. In his very short life, he positively impacted a multitude of people.
Bruce is survived by his devoted wife, Renea; daughter, Marissa (Anthony and son Sawyer) Wilson; son, Brandon (Jess) Derenzy; parents, Don and Beverly Derenzy; brothers and sisters, Renee (Don) O’Neill, Corey (Penny) Derenzy, Jeff (Erin) Derenzy, Krista (Jason) McArthur, and Kati (Steve) Koza; and many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins, who he dearly loved.
He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Robert and Martha Fate, and Albert and Christine Derenzy; and his mother-in-law, Frieda Martin.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, November 27, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. from St. Mary Cathedral.
Visitation will be held at the Nelson Funeral Home on Friday, November 26, 2021, from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. Visitation will continue Saturday, November 27, 2021, at St. Mary Cathedral, from 9:00 a.m. until the time of services.
Burial will take place at Glen Eden Memorial Park in Livonia, on Monday, November 29, 2021, at noon.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the family through Nelson Funeral Home to assist with funeral expenses.
Funeral arrangements were entrusted to Nelson Funeral Home and Cremation Service, PO Box 1548, Gaylord, MI 49734.
36 comments on “Bruce A. Derenzy”
Gone too soon, Bruce. Prayers for your family. 🙏💕
To all the family of Bruce, I am so sorry for your loss.
He was such a wonderful man and will be dearly missed.
Prayers for peace and healing.
-Jody
So sorry to hear of Bruce’s passing. May God’s mercy and blessing be upon your family at this difficult time.
My heart is breaking for Renea and Bruce’s family. Such a devastating loss of a wonderful kind soul. You will all continue to be in my thoughts and prayers.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you all during this difficult time. May your strength come through one another and share the wonderful memories of a son, brother, husband, and wonderful man. Love, Gary & Cindy Lucksted.
I heard of Bruce’s passing through fellow SMH classmates, who like me, are shocked and saddened by the news.
Great guy and friend who will be missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.
Don, Bev, and the whole Derenzy family. We were so sorry to hear about Bruce. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all during this very difficult time.
Dear Laura and family,
Thinking of you all during this difficult time. Our Deepest Sympathy ❤️🩹
Kathy & Terry Avenall
Wow, So very sorry to hear about Bruce’s passing. I will be praying for you all.
God Bless.
I had the pleasure to work with Bruce on a special project in June 2019. He was a very special person and I am lucky to have known him. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you at this difficult time.
My thoughts and prayers are with the family. Truly enjoyed working with Bruce. Bruce will be missed greatly by his Panhandle Eastern family.
So sorry to hear of Bruce’s passing. We graduated from High School together and I’m so saddened by this news. Thoughts and prayers to all his family and friends. Gone too soon. May he forever rest in God’s peace.
Hearing of this is only reminds me of how Bruce always had a smile on his face regardless of the circumstance., fun guy to hang out with, and to play hockey with. He will be missed. My prayers for Corey and all the family.
To all the Derenzy family, We are so very sorry for your loss. May our Lord be with you during this sorrowful time and may he Rest In Peace. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Craig and Berni Seidell
Such sad news. I always enjoyed talking with him. Prayers and hugs headed for his family.
I was saddened to hear of Bruce’s passing. Marvin always enjoyed chatting with him when they ran into each other. Your entire family is in my prayers. RIP Bruce.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Bruce was always a kind and gentle person, ready to help. He will be missed. God bless his family with strength and hope. John and Margaret Koske.
So very sorry for your loss Jeff and the entire Derenzy family! Bruce was a lot of fun in high school, so many funny memories with the goof ball. May he rest in peace and please know my thoughts and prayers are will all of you!
I had the pleasure of being trained by Bruce for three weeks this summer in Michigan. It was clear during my time there that Bruce loved his family dearly. He was a wealth of knowledge pertaining not only to our profession, but life experiences as well. All of us at Energy Transfer will deeply miss his wit and charisma on a daily basis. Thinking about and praying for Bruce & his family during this time.
Bruce was a great neighbor at Deepwoods Drive and an even longer friend as we bounced around the country doing land work for numerous companies. We always managed to stay in touch no matter where we were. We spoke last month catching up on both of our families and laughing about all the silly things we managed to talk about. That’s one thing I’ll always remember him by…his big grin and jovial way of looking at life. We laughed everything we spoke. I can say that in the last twenty five years…our paths crossed many times…our outlook was much the same. It was always a good place to be when I’m his presence. All my love goes out to his children and family. We shared many great times together…through thick and thin. We’ve always been good to each other, no matter what the circumstances presented. I love you all.
I will miss you my friend Bruce, you were like a brother to me. I shed a tear when I found out you left us. My life will go on, but it won’t be the same without you. Rest In Peace my good friend. ☮️
Derenzy family,
So sorry to hear of your loss of Bruce. We have some great neighborhood memories with your family. You are all in our thoughts and prayers through this difficult time.
The Amborski family
Don, Bev and the entire extended Derenzy family: this is such sad news to hear and we are so sorry for your loss. I remember the friendship and many adventures growing up with Bruce. May Bruce rest in peace, and our prayers are with you all during this difficult time.
Bill and Julie Burns
Jeff, Corey & Derenzy Family,
Sending sincere sympathy to all of you and keeping you all in our prayers. Remember all the wonderful
memories of Bruce. God Bless You All.
Prayers to Renea and Family. So very sad. I was very fortunate to spend some time with Bruce chasing walleye on Saginaw Bay over the years. I will truly miss him.
Kati Koza and Derenzy family – I am sending my sincerest sympathy, I am so sorry for your loss.
The Derenzy Family- So sorry to hear of Bruce’s passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time.
Tom and Cindy Carmichael
So sorry for your loss. Thoughts and prayers for you and your family.
Deepest sympathy to you from all our family.
Bev,Don and family. My heart aches and prayers go out to all of you. I am so sorry for your loss. I remember Bruce and the rest of the kids growing up here in the neighborhood.
God called a good angel. May he RIP.
Dear Bev,Don, and all the Derenzy family.
Thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult time. May your memories give you comfort.
Jackie Wcisel
I’m very saddened to learn of Bruce’s passing. Along with being an excellent person, he was a hard working, dependable, high integrity colleague. Our thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathies are with the Derenzy family and friends during such a difficult time. God bless.
Sorry for your loss. I enjoyed bowling with Bruce on Wednesday night league. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.
We were saddened to here of the loss of Bruce. Enjoyed working with Bruce, and family. God Bless.
My sons and I were so saddened to hear about Bruce. He was a great hockey coach but more than that he was always a bright, happy, and lovely guy we always loved having in our lives.
I am so sorry to hear this. I am absolutely shocked. My prayers and thought are with everyone. He will be truly missed.