As many of you may have heard, our father, Carl J. Kruse, passed away peacefully on April 6th at the age of 91. Some of you reading this may have had the good fortune of knowing him, while others may have heard of him from the Google group that he managed or some of you are just being introduced to him for the first time. Regardless, our dad was a great man who loved Herons Glen and volunteered much of his time to enhance the quality of life for its residents and the community as a whole over the past 34 years. But, before we get to our dad’s escapades at Herons Glen, we would like to share briefly his “yellow brick road” journey leading up to him and our beautiful mother, Margaret (Peggy), taking up residency here.
Dad was born on August 4, 1934, on the Upper East Side of New York. My dad loved New York City and was a real New Yorker – wise, scrappy, resilient, a fighter. Dad growing up got into just the right amount of trouble…nothing serious but he did have an adventurous side. As a teenager, he was a member of the East Side House which was geared toward community participation, recreation and personal achievement programs. Dad loved the East Side House and made life-long friendships through this program. This is also where our dad caught the “acting bug” that he carried with him to Herons Glen.
When our dad turned 18, he enlisted in the Army and was assigned to the 27th Infantry. Dad caught a real break when halfway to Korea his unit was pulled from the combat zone and he was shipped to Hawaii where he finished out his army career. He once told a story about being on the mess hall line and right before they plopped his breakfast into his bowl, this giant green bug flew right into his bowl. Down went the food on top of the bug and up went dad’s spoon to his mouth. He was so hungry he didn’t care. Dad ate that green bug for breakfast and never gave it a second thought!
After his service, he worked as a draftsman and attended Queens College at night for Mechanical Engineering. Around this time, he met our lovely mother on a blind date where he took her to Jones Beach on Long Island, NY. After dating for a few months our dad, in his confident style said, “When are we getting married?” My mother said, “I didn’t even know we were going steady!” But it all worked out because 67 years later they were still together and loved each other every single day like the day they first met. They had two children, Carl and Wendy, where they resided on Staten Island, NY until their retirement.
In dad’s twenties, he joined the NYC Fire Department. This was his dream job – he loved being a fireman and not many people can say they love their profession, but our dad did. He was a natural leader. Dad enjoyed serving his community as a first responder and all the lives he touched. There were some close calls but, thankfully, he always came home to us.
When he retired as a Chief in the Fire Department, he was in search of a warmer climate in his golden years and, North Fort Myers on the Gulf Coast provided the right amount of warmth all year round – 80 plus degrees was his favorite! Our parents fell in love with Herons Glen. Here, our dad took advantage of every amenity – golf, softball, tennis, bocce ball, bowling, etc. However, pickleball didn’t agree with him as he came home bloodied and bandaged one afternoon from the court. He tried to fib and tell our mom it happened while working in the garage but mom knew he was making up a story. She couldn’t remember the last time he voluntarily worked in the garage or would get so banged up in the process!
What our dad is most known for is his acting chops. He acted in all the plays here in Herons Glen portraying Columbo, Willie Nelson, Little Red Riding Hood, Tiny Tim, one of the “Saturday Night Geezers,” or in the Christmas Play singing, “Nuttin for Christmas…” or his infamous two life-size doll dance to the YMCA, the Macarena, and “Cajun Carl” and so much more. He sang in the chorus, acted, tap danced and had a mischievous sense of humor that he brought to every performance.
In his spare time, which wasn’t much, he built his own website for many years called, “Carl’s Place” that reported news and current events about Herons Glen for the residents and snowbirds before there were the organized newsletters we receive today. During dad’s residency at Herons Glen, he was Men’s Handicap Chairperson, a member of the District Golf Committee and administrator for the Google group.
When our mom got sick three years ago, dad was by her side every single day. He devoted his life to her and when he was sick himself in hospice he said, “I need to get home to cook dinner for my wife.”
Our dad was a devoted husband, a caring, loving father, a doting grandfather to two beautiful grandchildren, Thomas and Lindsay, and a loyal friend. He was decent, kind, honest, funny and a devout Catholic volunteering his time at St. Therese and the St. Paul Food Bank. The world is a better place because of him, and he will be truly missed. We love you, Dad…
