A.D. Flores Kruse

A.D. Flores Kruse

Funeral services for A.D. Flores Kruse, 88, were held on Nov. 7 at the Niobrara County Fairgrounds Auditorium. A.D. died quietly in his sleep on Nov. 2.

A.D. Flores Kruse was born on the family ranch in Niobrara County north of Lance Creek, Wyoming, on March 7, 1918. He was the only child of William H. (Bill) Kruse and Jennie Linn Flores Kruse. A.D. attended school in Lance Creek through the tenth grade and then graduated from Lusk High School in 1936. He was on the boxing team while attending Lusk High School.

A.D. attended the University of Wyoming, working as a janitor to pay his way through, and graduated in 1940 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture. He then took a position with the Farmer's Home Administration in Gillette and Lander before being drafted into the Army.

A.D. received an Officer's Candidate School commission as a Second Lieutenant. He was assigned to Company A 133rd D Engineer Combat Battalion and was sent to England to prepare for the invasion of Europe. He was trained to deactivate mines and boobytraps; he liked that job because it took absolute concentration and would tolerate no mistakes. A.D. landed on Normandy Beach D+72 hours and his unit immediately began clearing road mines so General George Patton's tanks could spearhead the attack. He fought through France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Austria, including the Battle of the Bulge and the Battle of the Ardennes, clearing mines and building bridges and roads in advance of the armor. He was wounded while directing a river crossing and carried the shrapnel in his hip and thigh the rest of his life.

For his efforts he was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star with an oakleaf cluster for heroic achievement, Purple Heart, European Service Medal, World War II Victory Medal, and recently the French awarded him a Thank You America certificate. He was discharged as a Captain.

After discharge, he opened a Soil Conservation Service office in Dubois. He then courted and married Hazel May Rowse from Riverton, on Nov. 25, 1946. They moved back to the ranch after Katherine was born in 1948. They went on to have two sons, James and Paul.

In 1952 A.D. was elected as GOP precinct committeeman, an office he held until 1996. A.D. was the longest-tenured committeeman in Wyoming. He served on the Niobrara County school board, Niobrara County Conservation Board, and was a 4-H Leader. A.D. and his family were selected for a 4-H Meritorious Service Award in 1977. He was a member of the Wyoming Stockgrowers Association for 40 years, and a longtime member of their executive committee.

He loved his family, horses, Hereford cattle, and visiting family and friends. A.D. always valued education, and his children and grandchildren have earned a total of eleven college degrees, including a Master's and two Doctorate's degrees.

He was preceded in death by his wife Hazel and his parents.

He is survived by his daughter Katherine and her husband David Morgan of Casper; son James W., who runs the ranch at Lance Creek, and James' wife Jan, and son Paul of Cheyenne, along with six grandchildren: Patrick Morgan and his wife Kimberly of Lincoln, Neb, Dana Morgan of Castle Rock, CO, Brian Morgan of Casper, James P. Kruse of Laramie, Joseph Kruse of Lance Creek and Jada Linn Kruse of Lance Creek.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Niobrara County Historical Society, PO Box 367, Lusk, Wyoming, 82225.

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