Leta Sophia Jennie Kruse

Leta Sophia Jennie (Bushman) Kruse was born January 6, 1919. She died at age 103 on January 1, 2023 at Addington Place Assisted Living in Carroll, Iowa where she has resided the past 13 years. Leta was proud of her lifelong residency of Carroll County, living within seven miles of Glidden her nearly 104 years.

Leta was the daughter of Harm & Lydia (Kluegel) Bushman, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter of German immigrants who settled and farmed in Carroll County beginning in 1872. The Dierks and Kluegel families, on Leta’s maternal side, were charter members of Peace Lutheran Church, Glidden, established in 1898. The congregation began as a gathering of neighbors in their rural homes northeast of Glidden. Leta was a lifelong member of Peace where she was baptized, confirmed and married. She was a charter member of LCMS Lutheran Women’s Missionary League.

Leta attended country school until she entered high school in Glidden. She graduated at age 16 as a member of the Class of 1935 — a class that celebrated four centenarians. She enjoyed attending the annual GRHS Alumni Dinners where she was honored as the oldest alumni for several years.

In marriage and partnership with Raymond Kruse for 67 years, Leta was actively engaged in farming, homemaking and raising a family north of Glidden. One of Leta’s memorable moments was an on-stage address to the participants at the National Poultry Convention in St. Louis, 1962. She put her natural talent for writing, math, and accounting to good use, although she always regretted not having the opportunity to go to business school due to the depression.

When Leta married in 1940 she began keeping a diary and recording the happenings of daily life, skipping only a few years along the way. In 1983 she began to use the At-A-Glance Red Standard Diary, completing 38 volumes and continuing to record the events of each day, until mid 2021.

Leta and Ray enjoyed traveling throughout the USA, Canada, Mexico and Europe. They spent 30-plus winters in TX, FL and AZ.

Leta’s hands were never idle. She enjoyed decorating her home, gardening, cooking, and serving colorful, nutritious meals. Her enjoyment of crafts and sewing continued into her late 90’s.  She crocheted afghans for family members and delivered more than 90 blankets for newborns at St Anthony Hospital in Carroll.

As a centenarian Leta continued to make cards and send them to friends and family. During the isolation dictated by Covid-19, she discovered Brain Game Word Search books and Paint by Sticker books, completing several hundred over the past 3-years. Asked about this daily activity, she responded, “I can’t just sit here, I have to do something to keep my hands busy and brain going.”

A woman of quiet, but deep faith, she began each day with devotions. Neatly organized binders contain underlined inspirational clippings and devotionals that caught her attention. Names of loved ones and friends were placed in her “prayer basket.” She loved that her birthday, January 6, coincided with Epiphany in the church year.

Leta wrote her life’s story and titled it “The Dash,” representing the line — engraved on a memorial stone between the dates of one’s birth and one’s death. It was Leta’s favorite means of reflecting on her long life here on earth. She regularly expressed her gratefulness for other’s generosity and kindness to Ray, she, and her family throughout her many years.

Leta is survived by three children and their spouses: Gene (Marguerite) Kruse, Little Rock AR; Linda (Richard) Staats, Phoenix, AZ; Karla (Dave) Herres, San Antonio, TX. Leta was always eager to receive news from her seven grandchildren: Paige, Rod (AZ) & Tony Kruse (AR); Kai & Jae Staats (AZ); Andy & Katelyn Herres (TX). She enjoyed visits with her great-grandchildren: Austin & Ryan Kruse, Jaxson & Tyler Finger, and Charlotte Herres. One brother-in-law, Louis Grade, Carroll and numerous nieces, nephews, and Bushman cousins survive her.

Preceding her in death were her spouse Raymond, sister Lola Kallman, and Nancy Kruse — mother to three of her grandchildren, plus brother/sister-in-laws.

A celebration of Leta’s long life will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Friday, January 6, 2023 at (the day of Leta’s 104th birthday) at Peace Lutheran Church in Glidden, with Pastor Alan Miller officiating. Burial will be in the Merle Hay Memorial Cemetery near Glidden.

Visitation will be held from 5 - 7 P.M. on Thursday at the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Glidden with a prayer service held at 6:30 P.M. The casket will be moved to Peace Lutheran Church at 9:30 A.M. on Friday where visitation will resume from 9:30 A.M. to 10:15 A.M. prior to the funeral service. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Glidden. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.dahnandwoodhouse.com