Anna Mae Kruse age 90 of Marshall, formerly of Verdi, passed away Monday, July 1, 2013 at Avera Hospital in Marshall.
Memorial services will be at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, July 6 at Grace Lutheran Church in Lake Benton. Visitation is 5:00-7:00 p.m. Friday at the Tyler Area Funeral Home with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m. Visitation will continue one hour prior to services at the church on Saturday. Memorials are preferred to Services for the Blind. Online condolences may be sent via www.stephensfuneralservice.com. Stephens Funeral
Service – Tyler Area Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
Anna Mae (Troubaugh) Kruse was born in Ottumwa, IA on March 31, 1923, to Neal and Frances (Suechting) Troubaugh. Her father died in January 1927. Her mother held a variety of jobs to support Anna Mae and her younger sister Miriam.
Ann was baptized and later confirmed at St. Paul Lutheran Church and was an active member of Luther League for several years, serving as district president. After graduating from Ottumwa High School in 1941, Anna Mae had her eye on being a teacher. Six weeks at Cedar Falls Teacher College supplemented her teacher’s training in high school. Working at an egg processing plant and John Deere provided summer income to her country school earnings (beginning in 1941) until going to Boyden, IA, in 1944 to teach at St. John’s Lutheran School.
In 1946, Ann taught one school year at a Lutheran school in Inglewood, CA. Returning to Boyden, she married Rudolph Kruse on June 20, 1947. Ann taught country school off and on until the family moved to the Verdi, MN area in December 1957. While employed by Verdi Public Schools, she taught Spring Primary, Headstart, and worked as a playground aide and teachers’ aide, leading to her retirement in 1988. During those years she was also a partner on the farm, helping with chores, milking cows, fieldwork, and tending her perennial flowerbeds.
In November of 2009, Ann moved to Hill Street Place in Marshall after recovering from a broken hip. She enjoyed the companionship of the residents and developed many friendships. She always raved about the good food and won many games of BINGO. While at Hill Street, Ann indulged in her passion for reading. Aided by an electronic magnifier, she was grateful for the many books delivered by friends and the Marshall-Lyon County Library. In addition to historical fiction and novels, Ann read her Bible every day.
She passed to her heavenly home on July 1, 2013. Her Christian faith was unwavering, and she exemplified the Fruits of the Spirit. She is survived by her sons, Allen (Linda), Paul, and Neil (friend Jeanine), daughter Susan Honken (Ronald), and granddaughters Amanda Sisco-Kruse, Kristina and Emily Honken. She was preceded in death by her husband Rudy in 2008, her parents, and sister Miriam.