SAGINAW, MI — Whether it was family, friends or strangers in need, Gloria Jean Cruz's charitable spirit benefited the many people the Saginaw business owner met during her lifetime, her son said. Ta.
Mr. Cruz, 77, the longtime owner of Cruz Kitchen and its branch stores in Saginaw, died Monday, April 22.
“My mother, when she saw someone hurting, she wanted to help that person. It was to give them something helpful, like food or toilet paper,” said her 58-year-old son. Michael A. Crews said. “We're talking about hundreds of people over the years.”
Gloria Cruz and her surviving husband, Santos Cruz, opened the original family restaurant in 1969 at 1200 Martha Street. So Cruz's kitchen continues to sell groceries and their beloved Mexican dishes to her longtime fans and newcomers alike.
“We always wanted a little bit of business,” Cruz told The Saginaw News/MLive in a 2014 interview. “He wanted something bigger, but I said, 'You have to crawl before you can walk.' And that's what we did.”
Cruz Kitchen opened in the space that was previously Martha Street Market, selling sliced meats, poultry and groceries. The name has changed several times since the beginning of the Cruz family's ownership: Martha Street Market, M&T Market, and Cruz Kitchen.
The Cruz family previously owned markets in Washington and Atwater in Saginaw, where customers could buy everything from beer to Mexican food to lottery tickets at drive-through windows.
Their largest store was called Super Star Superette at 1300 S. Warren. The family decided to downsize and stick to one location, so they discontinued operations from there.
But in 2022, the family opened a drive-thru offshoot of Cruise Kitchen, Cruise Thru Mexican Kitchen, located at 2525 E. Genesee.
Ms. Cruz's son said she was active in all aspects of the business over the years. Her involvement kept her close to the customers who frequented her business and the community she sought to strengthen.
Behind the scenes, she was devoted to her family and their supporters, her son said.
“Mom takes care of everyone,'' said the son. “If I was out with my cousins and friends and my sister and I were buying ice cream, my mom would buy ice cream for everyone. I didn't want that to happen.”
Mr. Cruz was involved with local chapters of national organizations such as LULAC (an acronym for the League of United Latin American Citizens) and the American GI Forum.
A funeral Mass is scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 30, at the Cathedral of the Assumption, 615 Hoyt, Saginaw, according to her obituary.
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