Dec. 13, 2021
Long time Alaskan, Richard “Dick” W. Kruse passed away Dec. 13, 2021, in Sun Lakes, Arizona, after a brief illness with cancer at the age of 89. A celebration of life will be at a later date with internment at the Veterans National Cemetery in Phoenix, Arizona.
He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and a trusted friend. Dick was born to Marion (Forbish) and Clarence Kruse Nov. 10, 1932, in Brownton. He was proud to have lettered in football, basketball and baseball before graduating from Brownton High School in 1950. He joined the Marines at 19 and returned home to run the family farm after his father died. Later, he attended business college and began a lifetime career in accounting.
He married a young nurse, Patricia M. Tomlanovich, in Hibbing, on June 25, 1955. A new job with the Internal Revenue Service brought them to Alaska in 1960 where they raised their three children Kim, Rick and Carol. Dick continued working professionally in the accounting field and owned and operated several retail stores. He also fished commercially in Cook Inlet, Alaska, each summer. After many years in private business, he returned to work for the IRS.
Dick especially liked spending time with family and friends at their cabin near Summit Lake on the Kenai Peninsula and also at Lake Louise Lodge. He was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed providing the family with moose, caribou, salmon and burbot.
He was also an exceptionally enthusiastic sports fan. Dick loved sports and was a season pass holder at local hockey, basketball and baseball games. He frequently traveled to Seattle for the Seahawks and the UW/WSU Apple Cup football games.
After retiring, Dick and Pat enjoyed long-distance road trips, traveling and sharing many wonderful times with family and friends in Alaska, Washington, Minnesota and Arizona.
Spending time with his grandkids brought Dick immense joy. He also loved telling them about his adventures while living and traveling throughout Alaska, from riding out the 1964 earthquake and surviving a plane crash to returning home from Kodiak with boxes filled with live King Crab. The grandkids say they will admire and cherish their grandpa for all the steadfast love and support he gave them over the years.
Dick is survived by his wife Patricia Kruse of 66 years; children, Kim Kruse (Mark Smedley), Richard Kruse (Mary Reker), and Carol O’Leary (Terry O’Leary); and six wonderful grandchildren, McKenzie Kruse Smedley, Casey, Patrick and Hanna O’Leary, and Haley and Nicholas Kruse. He is also survived by his nephews, John and Tom Crosby.
He was preceded in death by his father Clarence W. Kruse; mother Marion M. Kruse; brother Donald Kruse; and sister Lois Crosby.
