Bernard Cruse, Jr

Mr. Bernard William Cruse, Jr., age 83, of Concord, passed away on Monday, May 2, 2011 at CMC NorthEast. He was born on July 14, 1927 in Enochville, Rowan County (St. Enoch Lutheran Church Parsonage where his grandfather was the minister), son of the late Bernard William, Sr. and Juanita Boland Cruse. He is also preceded in death by his wife, Marjorie Elizabeth Cruse, who passed away January 20, 2003. The family will receive friends on Thursday, May 5, 2011 at Hartsell Funeral Home, Concord from 6 PM until 8 PM. A funeral service will be held on Friday, May 6, 2011 at Calvary Lutheran Church at 2 PM with Rev. Dick Little officiating. Burial will be at Oakwood Cemetery with DAV rites performed at the graveside by the Cabarrus County Veterans Honor Guard. He is survived by his children, Bernard William Cruse, III, of Concord, Kathy Parnell and husband, Larry, of St. Petersburg, FL; grandchildren, Bernard William "Brad" Cruse, IV and wife, Tracy Mitchell, of Indian Trail, Jeffrey Michael Harrison, of Columbia, SC, and Alicia Anne Parnell, of St. Petersburg, FL; great grandchildren, Bailey William Cruse, Alexis Danielle Cruse, and Matthew Logan Cruse, all of Indian Trail; step children, David Waugh, of Orlando, FL, Randy Waugh and wife, Pamela, of Orlando, FL, and Cheryl Oakes, of Macon, GA; step grandchildren, Andra Waugh, of Northboro, MA, Christian and Jesse Waugh, of Orlando, FL, Christopher Treem, of Macon, GA, Timothy Treem, of Charlotte, and Lauren Green, of Macon, GA; step great grandchildren, Ryan Treem, of Las Vegas, NV, Wesley Treem, of Macon, GA, and Madison Treem, of Macon, GA; and brother, Kenneth Boland Cruse, Sr., of Rockwell. Mr. Cruse attended grade school in Detroit and St. Clair Shores, MI and graduated from Concord High School, Class of 1944. He then attended Davidson College, Davidson, Lenoir Rhyne College, Hickory, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, and UNCC, as well as other colleges. He attended several trade schools including, McCarrie School of Mechanical Dentistry, Philadelphia, PA, where he received his diploma, Detroit Institute of Technology, Detroit, MI, and CPCC. He served in the US Marine Corps during WWII in the South Pacific and in North China Occupation and later served in reserves in Georgia and NC. He was employed in print shops and as a radio announcer and disk jockey while in high school and at Lenoir Rhyne. He operated a news stand for a short period of time and worked in sales while attending Georgia Tech. Upon graduation from McCarrie School, he operated and worked in dental laboratories for about two years in Concord, Charlotte, Lenoir, Tucson, AZ, and Detroit and Saginaw, MI. While in Michigan, he worked and acquired certificates as a tool and die maker at Chrysler, GM, Ford, and other general machine shops. During occasional layoffs, he drove mainly new trucks and buses from the factories to dealerships as well as driving military vehicles to military posts. While in Michigan, he worked in sales as an audiologist fitting people for hearing aids. He then joined his parents in Wilmington at their motel where he built and operated a restaurant until selling the business and moving with his parents to Alexandria, VA to both operate a motel and work in tool shops in Alexandria and Bethesda, MD. He then returned to Concord and worked in machine and sheet metal shops in Charlotte until he opened Craft Manufacturing Company in Concord for sheetmetal work. After the closing of that business he went to work as a Staff Engineer for about five years for a hosiery concern and then went on to work at Celanese Corp for about nine years as an electro mechanical designer. During that time he collaborated with two partners to start CEM Corp as the founding president, developing and marketing analytical electronic instrumentation. He retired in 1983 from CEM Corp and has been pursuing his lifelong hobby of genealogical research and historical publications. He was a past and present member of, the Boy Scouts of America, where he achieved the status of Eagle Scout. He was a past member of the Detroit Council of Skilled Trades, American Society of Tool and Manufacturing Engineers, Fifth District Citizen Band Radio Assc., where he served as president. He was a present member of the Sons of the American Revolution, Sons of Confederate Veterans, lifetime member of Silver Wings Fraternity, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Assc., Cabarrus Genealogy Society, Rowan Genealogical Society, NC Genealogical Society, NC Society of Historians, member of Historical Works Committee of the NC Synod. He was also a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for about 15 years, served on several committees and Congregational Council for Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church in Concord, and taught Sunday School for a period of time at Calvary Lutheran Church. His honors and awards include, Honorary Life Member of Lutheran Men in Mission, 1995; listed in Who’s Who in the South and Southwest, 1984 1985 and Dictionary of International Biography, 1986; Personalities of the the South, 1986; Personalities of America, 1987; Certificate of Recognition, Eastern Cabarrus Historical Society, 1999, four publications were awarded the Blue Ribbons by the NC Society of Historians; and one publication was awarded the Certificate of Merit from the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. Books and publications of Mr. Cruse include, Descendants of Johann Nicholaus Heinrich Kress (Cress), 1978, Descendants of Johann Phillip Gruss (Cruse), Some of the Descendants of John Boland, Descendants of Johann Wilhelm Paulas, Descendants of Hans Fegert (Faggart), Descendants of Johan Martin Derr (Dry/Drye), Descendants of Peter Eary (Arey), Descendants of Johan Counrath Ehernhart (Earnhardt), Union Churches in NC During the 18th and 19th Centuries, 2001, Calvary Lutheran Church, A History, 1913-1996, Transcription of the Samuel Rothrock Diaries, 1835-1893, extensive work on All One Body, the Story of the NC Lutheran Ministers, 1773-1999. As well as many other works too numerous to mention. Memorials may be made to Calvary Lutheran Church, 950 Bradley Street, Concord, NC 28025 or to Marine League Unit Cabarrus Detachment 1175, PO Box 2033, Concord, NC 28026.