Everett Kruse

EVERETT KRUSE

Cedar Rapids

Everett Kruse, 79, of Cedar Rapids, died Sunday, April 26, 2015, at his home. Services: 10 a.m. Wednes-day at Teahen Funeral Home, 3100 F Ave. NW, by Pastor Jon Chambers. Burial: Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery. Friends may visit with the family on Tuesday from 5 until 8 p.m. and again on Wed-nesday after 9 a.m. at the funeral home.

Everett was born Aug. 19, 1935, on a farm near Rossie, Iowa, to Herman and Daisy (Patten) Kruse. He farmed with his father after graduating from Peterson High School in 1953. He met Jean Tordoff at the Woodcliff Ballroom in January 1954 and they were married on July 4, 1954, at the Little Brown Church in Nashua. They lived on a farm near Peterson until they moved to Estherville in 1955. Everett was employed by Northwestern Bell Telephone Co., beginning as construction lineman in 1956, then as an install-ation technician in Spencer and Estherville. After six weeks of No. 5 crossbar training, he was relocated to Storm Lake as a No. 5 switchman. In 1963, he was promoted to crossbar technician and relocated to Mason City. While there he designed and installed the first stuck sender tracer for the Master Test Frame location in the Iowa area. In 1966, Everett was promoted to management and supervised the last Iowa Northwestern Bell Telephone office con-version from manual to dial in Corydon. In 1967, he was transferred to the Cedar Rapids office, first as service foreman, then test center foreman and finally as central office foreman. He managed the installation of several new offices to allow direct distance dialing in Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Waterloo and Des Moines.

While working in Mason City, Everett was very active in Jaycees for which he served in several officer positions, including state director. As a Jaycee he was the national runner up in a speech contest. While in Corydon, he was a member of Rotary. In the 1970s, Everett was an avid skier, an officer of the Cedar Rapids Hawkeye Ski Club, and he maintained the ski slope of the club which was located in Cedar Rapids.

Everett retired from Northwestern Bell Telephone Co./US West in March 1986. After his retirement he constructed some decks and did a variety of other types of maintenance and construction. Everett enjoyed being outdoors and his favorite activity was fishing, especially for walleye in Okoboji and Minnesota.

In 1991, Everett and Jean began taking annual fishing trips in Alaska, where he caught several very large halibut and salmon. In the past several years he enjoyed having coffee every morning at the Breakfast House with his many friends there. Family get-togethers were always very important to Everett.

Everett is survived by his wife, Jean; his three daughters, Sheryl Kruse, Orange City, Marcia (Chris) Mack, Wheat Ridge, Colo., and Lois (Randy) Stodola, Cedar Rapids; and his son, Brian (Patricia), Cedar Rapids. He also is survived by 10 grandchildren, Katherine (Matt) Broyles, Bartlesville, Okla., Molly (Jon) Chambers, Cedar Rapids, Sarah Mack, Arvada, Colo., Joe (Brandi) Stodola, Sylvester, Ga., Shannon (Matt) Burmeister, Jennie (Mike) Ketelsen, Justina Stodola, Lesley (Jeff) Vossenkemper and Matthew Kruse, all of Cedar Rapids, and Jennifer Kruse (Dan Crosby), Santa Monica, Calif.; and 10 great-grandchildren, Callahan and Elodie Chambers, Karson, Kael and Kaden Burmeister, Colbie and Cru Ketelsen, Emily and Jayson Kubik, all of Cedar Rapids, and Logan Stodola, Sylvester, Ga. He also is survived by his sister, Bonnie Grodahl, Rembrandt; sister-in-law, Vonnie Kruse, Spencer; sister-in-law, Julie (Dennis) Johnson, Lincoln, Neb.; and brother-in-law, Henry (Lillian) Tordoff, Sioux City; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Everett was preceded in death by one daughter, his parents, two brothers, a sister-in-law and a brother-in-law.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the American Lung Association. To donate, visit its website: www. lung.org/donate.

Please share a memory of Everett at www.teahen funeralhome.com under obituaries.