Julia “Julie” Agnes (Wooden) Kruse, age 85, formerly of Orange, California passed away on Saturday, June 8, 2019, surrounded by her loving family.
Julie was born on May 27, 1934, in Madison, South Dakota; the youngest child of Roy William Francis and Agnes Jane (Malone) Wooden. Paternal grandparents are William Thomas Wooden, and Mary Oris Wilhemina Morgan; maternal grandparents are Michael H. Malone and Julia Sharkey.
She was born and raised in Madison, South Dakota, attending and graduating from St. Thomas Catholic School. She met, and later married her sweetheart, William (Bill) Lewis Kruse, Jr. (Montrose), in Madison, South Dakota on June 14, 1956. They departed their beautiful state of South Dakota for employment opportunities in sunny California soon after the birth of their first daughter. Bill and Julie raised their family of three daughters and one son in Orange, California, returning to South Dakota to visit family and friends on a regular basis.
Julie held many different positions throughout the years including: Working for the Department of Agriculture (secretary to the inspector of butter and poultry), Madison, South Dakota; Lake County South Dakota Treasurer’s Office (bookkeeping); that of a homemaker; a brief 2-week stint (and decades of laughs as she related her experiences) at Tidee Didee Diaper Service, Orange, California; Peralta Junior High School (cafeteria), Orange, California; and various aspects of accounting at Sully-Miller Construction Company, Kawasaki Motors, Care Enterprises, and Sun Mar Health Care, all within Orange County, California.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Bill, in 1979; her parents; two sisters, Cecelia (Wooden) Vargason and Iola Wooden; two brothers, Leo and Roy Wooden; and great-grandson, Benjamin Heber Clayton.
Julie was vehemently proud of her strong Irish Catholic heritage, as well as her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She enjoyed being the life of the party, laughing, joking around with others, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family.
She will be lovingly remembered and missed by her 4 children, 18 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.
Laurie (Michael) Stanley: Shawn (Traci) Stanley – Andrew, Jared, Melissa, and Lindsey; Shalyse (Ben) Clayton – Andrea, Ethan, Will, Benjamin, Sam, and Quinn; Ryan (Paige) Stanley – Vince, Jake, and Heidi; Jordan (Courtney) Stanley – Axel, Bentley, and Rowen; Holly (Creed) Cameron – Ella; Kelly (Steven) Boyd – Logan, Madelyn, and Nolan; Landon Stanley; Jenna Stanley; Evan Stanley. Linda Kruse Fontes: Brandon, Brittany, Zachary, and Rachel. Marilyn (Bo) Dobis: Justin (Stephanie) Dobis – Addelyn, and Bradley; Jennifer (Todd) Flores – Hank and Owen; Briana (Timothy) Richardson – Brody. Jerry (Shelly) Kruse: Shane and Sammie; as well as by many special family and friends, including former son in-law, Rudy Fontes, Jr.
A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m., Monday, June 24, 2019 at St. Norbert’s Catholic Church, 300 E Taft Avenue, Orange, California. Internment of her ashes will follow at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery, 7845 E Santiago Canyon Road, Orange, California.
A special thank you to the wonderful loving staff at Sherrill Hills Retirement Resort (Knoxville, TN); Parkview Retirement Community (Maryville, TN); Morningside Assisted Living (Springfield, MO); Brittany, at Mercy Hospital (Springfield, MO), Mary Ann and Vicki at Haven Hospice Care (Springfield, MO), and many more individuals too numerous to identify individually. Most of all, we are grateful for the beautiful peace bestowed by our loving Father in Heaven.
Flowers are welcome; however, should friends desire, memorials may be made to the charity of your choice.