Bruce Ellett Jenkins, age 78, passed away peacefully at home on January 4, 2024 with his wife by his side after a valiant fight with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease and ALS. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio on July 16th, 1945. Bruce was raised near Macedonia, Ohio – a small town between Akron and Cleveland. His father's name was Morse and his mother's name was Winona (Ellett). Bruce graduated from Macedonia High School in 1963. He joined the United States Air Force in 1965 and was stationed in England for 3 years as a photo interpreter.

Bruce met his future wife Diane Jackson through a friend in the Air Force. After being discharged from the Air Force in 1968, he moved to Washington State and married Diane. Bruce graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle in 1973 with a degree in Physical Therapy.

Bruce and Diane had three children: Chad, Todd, and Shannon. Diane passed away from cancer when her children were adults.

Bruce met his second wife Joan Anna (JoAnna) Morton in the Acute Neurology Unit at Overlake Hospital in Bellevue Washington, where she was a R.N. and he was a Physical Therapist. Married in May of 1990, they lived in Carnation for a short time before moving to the Tri-Cities in 1991. Bruce worked as a Physical Therapist at Kennewick General Hospital, primarily in the Home Health Department, until his retirement in December 2012.

While in Western Washington, Bruce also worked as a carpenter for several years and helped build several churches north of Seattle. Bruce loved using his carpentry skills to help others, including using his ingenuity and own personal resources to create many custom aids for his patients to enhance their wellbeing and recovery.

Bruce is survived by his wife of 33 years, JoAnna Jenkins, and children Chad Jenkins (Carol), Todd Jenkins (Cory), and Shannon Stephens (Jesse). Bruce is also survived by his stepchildren Kerry Skaugset (Lisa), Kimberly Tyrrell (Rick), Kathy Herrick (Pat), 15 grandchildren, and 7 great grandchildren. Surviving siblings are brother Thomas Morse Jenkins and sister Janet Elizabeth Lux, 4 nieces and 1 nephew and their children. Proceeded in death by his parents, Morse and Winona.

Bruce knew Jesus as his Lord and Savior and attended Kennewick First Baptist Church. Memorial services will be held at Mueller's Tri-Cities funeral home 1401 S. Union Street, Kennewick WA on Saturday January 20th 2024 at 10:30 AM, followed by a graveside service with military honors. In Lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the local ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) foundation (www.als.org/evergreenchapter).