Eloise Frederick Bruce, of Lawrence, NJ, died at her home on Thursday, January 1, 2026. She passed in her sleep, from complications of the Flu. She was born on June 18th, 1951 to Byron Sanford Bruce Jr. and Norma Jean Moore in Opelika, Alabama. She was the oldest of three children. She is pre-deceased by her parents and her brother Byron Bruce III and is survived by her brother Michael Bruce. They where raised in Alabama and Florida.

Eloise loved the theater. She was educated at Wesleyan College, receiving a BA in Theater in 1973. There she established life long college friends and had many friendship reunions over the years. She continued her studies at Mercer University, receiving a M. Ed. In 1975. She completed her studies at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, receiving a MFA in Directing in 1978. After completing her studies, she worked in Idaho with the Asolo Touring Theater from 1978 to 1980 as director & actor. She then became an adjunct Professor at Boise State University from 1981-1988. During those years she was also the director for the Idaho Shakespeare Festival and the Idaho Theater for the Youth.

Eloise moved to New Jersey to work as the Creative Theater Artistic Director from 1989-1995. She married David Michael Keller on August 7th, 1994, in a beautiful ceremony  at the Frost Place in Franconia, NH.

For years, Eloise worked with the Young Audience of New Jersey where she established dear lifetime theater friends. Besides theater, Eloise also enjoyed writing poetry. She is a published Poet. She was also an active member of the Cool Women Poetry group since 1996. They wrote volumes of poems and read them in libraries, schools, the sculpture garden,…  There she established lifetime poetry friends. She was a recipient of a poetry fellowship from the NJ State council of the Arts. Eloise was also a board member for the Trenton Museum Society governing Ellarslie, the Trenton City Museum from 1998 to 2002. While volunteering Eloise made lifetime volunteer friends. Eloise loved to inspire kids to act and write. She loved being with other teachers that also inspired those kids. Making lifetime teaching friends. Long recognized as a “ Master Teaching Artist", Eloise worked in NJ schools for over 40 years. She was a recipient of the Governor's Award in Arts Education. Eloise was also a member of the Landmark and Couples coaching Couples groups. Keeping in touch with many of those friends.

She will be greatly missed by her husband, family and all her lifetime friends from college, theater, poetry, teaching , volunteering, Landmark and couples coaching couples. A celebration of her life will be held at a future date this Spring. The date will be posted on her Facebook page and given to any friends that request a notification through Eloise’s email.

Eloise would have wanted us to remember her by her poem titled: I Love You

We knew our blood would freeze

and  we kept saying we loved

and the warm breaths and the soft sounds

seeped into the cracks around the words

until they became a destination

and we hung a hammock

between the I and the You

so we could rest.