The association has elected only 16 life members in its 119-year history and she is the first for 12 years.
A member of the North End club, Bruce has been the association's treasurer for the last 14 years.
Her sons, Alex and Robert, were both talented rowers.
Robert is coach of the Wanaka club. Her granddaughter, Saasha Bruce, is on a four-year rowing scholarship to study commerce at Oregon State University in the United States.
• Robyn Cameron (Port United) and Michelle Johnson (Otago) returned home with five gold medals from the South Island masters rowing championships at Lake Hood, Ashburton, at the weekend.
They were in crews together that won the C grade quadruple sculls, pair, women's four and the mixed four.
Cameron teamed with club-mate Imogen Coxhead to win the C grade double sculls, and Johnson won the women's B grade double sculls with Helen Drijfhout (Otago).
Drijfhout's husband, Marten Drijfhout, won gold medals in the men's A grade double sculls and the C grade four.
Veteran Faye Forgie (Port United) won four gold medals in the women's F grade quadruple sculls and four, the G grade double sculls and the H grade mixed double sculls.
Maureen Winton (Otago) won the women's novice single sculls and the Otago pair of Kevin Duggan and Dean Winton won titles in the C grade mixed four and the men's four.
Otago Rowing Association
Life members
Bill Wilson (1927), Syd Styche (1931), Ernie Fairbairn (1948), Thomas Mackie (1954), Charles Butterfield (1964), Jack Werges (1964), Fred Strachan (1969), Bill Robinson (1973), Maurice Jones (1986), Verdun (Joe) Grubb (1990), Mont Poulter (1991), Les Bennett (2000), Neil Burrow (2000), Mike McClelland (2000), Royce Wilson (2000), Loraine Bruce (2012).
