Mark is survived by his wife Joanna Lynn Kruse, two daughters, Hannah Jeannette Kruse and Emma Gabrielle Kruse, his parents, Melvin and Mary Kruse and siblings Marie Pleggenkhule (Jeff), Michael Kruse (Gail), Melanie Kruse, Matthew Kruse (Jennifer), Marjorie Elbering (Jason), Myron Kruse (Dawn), and Marvin Kruse.
Born in Lawler, Iowa, Mark grew up and attended Turkey Valley Community School. He was the oldest of seven siblings. While in school, he participated in sports such as wrestling, but he was also heavily involved in music and the theater. Shortly after graduating, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, where he served honorably as a maintenance management specialist for twenty years.
While stationed in Willow Grove, PA, Mark attended a Navy Ball where he met the woman who would be the love of his life. Joanna and Mark were married on April 13, 1996. Their family began to grow quickly, first when their daughter Hannah was born and then not long after when their youngest daughter Emma was born, both while Mark was serving as a Marine Corps recruiter in Fargo, ND. Mark and his family would move to Okinawa, Japan where they would live until he retired from active duty.
Mark was a decorated Marine, combat veteran, and American patriot who carried the pride of his service with him throughout his life. He was assigned to numerous combat and support units and served honorably through two major wars. His awards included the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, various campaign medals and other personal awards too numerous to list.
Although the United States Marine Corps will remember Mark as a mentor and leader of great presence who earned the loyalty of his subordinates, the respect of his peers, and the admiration of his leaders, his family will remember him as a devoted husband and loving father. His friends will remember him as a man of great humor, selfless acts and unimpeachable character. Those who did not know him well may only remember him as an intense and intelligent professional, possessing a mix of passion for his work and intolerance for incompetence and laziness, but only if they never saw him around his family or with children.
Anyone who ever saw Mark interact with his children or the children of his close friends has seen him at his best and will always remember him as more of an overgrown child. He will be remembered by all as a kind and gentle man who cared deeply for those he held dear, mostly his wife and his daughters. Although they will carry with them a deep sense of loss, in time, that loss will fade, and all that will remain for them to carry will be the memories of the love he held for them, and it will give them strength as they face the uncertainties of the future.
Memorial services for Mark Kruse will be held at Bellevue United Methodist Church, 7501 Old Harding Pike in Nashville, TN, on October 24, 2020 at 2:00 pm. He will later be interred at Arlington National Cemetery on a date yet to be determined. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for donations to the National Museum of the Marine Corps in memory of SSGT Mark Kruse (https://marineheritage.secure-donor.com/F11110?source=11110).