Mary Jane Kruse

INWOOD, IOWA – Mary Jane Kruse, 77, of rural Inwood, passed away on Wednesday, July 26, 2023, at Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

   Funeral Service will be 11:00 a.m. Saturday, August 5, 2023, at Abiding Savior Free Lutheran Church, 4100 South Bahnson Avenue, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with Pastor Justin Nelson officiating. Following the luncheon, the burial will be at 1:45 p.m. at Richland Cemetery at Inwood. Visitation with the family will be from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Friday at the Porter Funeral Home in Inwood. The funeral service will be live streamed on the church website, www.abidingsavior.church. The Kruse family prefers memorials be directed to the Logan Kruse Scholarship Fund at West Lyon Foundation, Logan Kruse Scholarship Fund, C/O Bob Tracy, 836 Hyland Drive, Larchwood, Iowa 51241.

   Mary Jane Kruse was born on April 3, 1946, to Leroy and Ruth Holland. She grew up on a farm in Inwood, Iowa with her older brothers, Jon and Ron. She attended West Lyon Community School where she excelled in academics, which led to her passion for education. After graduating from West Lyon, she attended Augustana College and received her bachelor’s in education. Following graduation, Mary Jane started her teaching career.

   On June 22, 1968, she married Jon Kruse and they were blessed with three sons, Steven, Jeffery, and Nathan. Mary Jane took time off to raise her sons until 1983 when she started as a 6th grade teacher at West Lyon Community School. Her love for learning led to her continuing her education and graduating with her master’s degree in education from Sioux Falls College. She had a love for history and social studies and she enjoyed sharing this love with her students. Mary Jane had a unique way of making learning fun with lessons like Russian Red Day, A Million Pennies Project and collecting pop-tabs for the Ronald McDonald House. Her fun approach to learning made her a favorite with countless students in her decades of teaching. After 28-years in the classroom, she retired from West Lyon and spent most of her time with family and friends. 

   Mary Jane will be greatly missed by her husband of 55 years, Jon “Bud” Kruse of Inwood; 3 sons, Steve (Angie) Kruse of George, Iowa, Jeff (Nicole) Kruse of Inwood, and Nate (Anna) Kruse of Minneapolis, Minnesota; her grandchildren, Zachary, Devin, Hannah, Isaac, Jayda, Camden, Hudson, and Sylvie; 1 great-grandchild, Conway; 2 brothers, Ron (Marcia) Holland and Jon (Diane) Holland; sister-and-brother-in-law, Mary and Harley Franklin; her dog, Jill; and friends and family. She was reunited in heaven with her father, Leroy; mother, Ruth; grandson, Logan; and many other close friends and family members.