CRUSE, William (Bill) John

William (Bill) John Cruse, 95, was born on May 31, 1914 to the late Anna (Schneider) and William Peter Cruse, in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. He died on December 28, 2009 at the LaPosoda retirement community in Green Valley, Arizona. Bill was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 72 years, Gladys, in July, 2009. He attended St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota, majoring in engineering. On January 2, 1937 he married Gladys Stiasny in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. They settled in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where Bill furthered his education at the University of Minnesota and Dunwoody Institute. From 1936-41 he worked for the Northern States Power Company. In 1941 he began employment with the Great Northern Railroad in St. Paul, Minnesota. Over the next 23 years he held various management and administrative positions ending as Chief Engineer Maintenance of Way. In 1964 he was hired by the Martin Cowley Ltd. and Alderton Construction Companies in London, England to be the Chief Engineer in rebuilding the Hedjaz Railway from Amman, Jordan to Medina, Saudia Arabia. In 1965 he accepted a position with the Plasser and Theurer Company in Vienna, Austria as a consultant with their design engineers on the application of their equipment to American railroads. Later in 1965 he accepted a position with the Rock Island Railroad in Chicago. For the next 12 years he enjoyed his association with them, ending it in 1977 as Chief Engineer. Shortly after his retirement he and Gladys moved to Green Valley. Until a few years ago Bill had continued as a self- employed Railroad Consultant in Track Engineering. He was a member of the following organizations in which he held leadership positions: American Railway Engineering Association, Roadmasters and Maintenance of Way Association of America, Railway Systems and Management Association and American Society for Testing Materials. Throughout his long career Bill and Gladys lived in numerous places including: Minneapolis, Minnesota; Forest Lake, Minnesota; Amman, Jordan and Elmhurst, Illinois. The last 30 years have been spent in Green Valley. While his work was important, his family was even more important, and he was a loving husband, father, and grandfather. His generosity, humor, willingness to help, and kind heart were a hallmark of his life. As his children were growing he volunteered with Boy Scouts and 4-H. Always a man of great faith and spirituality he took pride in participating in various religious activities at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church in Green Valley. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus (4th degree) and served as a Lay Eucharistic Minister. He enjoyed family gatherings, card games with friends, and traveling. Survivors include his six children, Carol Bentley (Charles), in Indiana, William Cruse (Glenda,) in Arizona, Richard Cruse, in Alaska, Mary Andrews, in Florida, Lora Saunders (Mark), in Illinois, and Pam Cruse, in Colorado. Other survivors include ten grandchildren and five great- grandchildren. He will be greatly missed but always remembered. Dad, you were one of a kind. Thank you for instilling in us great moral values. Services will be held at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church in Green Valley, on Wednesday, January 13, 2010. Entombment will take place at Holy Hope Cemetery in Tucson. Memorial contributions in Bill's memory can be made to LaPosada Foundation, 350 Morningside Rd., Green Valley, AZ 85614. (Obituary published in Arizona Daily Star, 01/10/2010.)