Mary Larson

Mary (Kruse) Larson, age 100, of Grand Island passed away on Monday, July 6, 2020 at Tiffany Square.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m., Friday, July 10 at the United Methodist Church in Aurora. Pastor Greg Reed will officiate. Interment will be in the Aurora Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Thursday at Higby-McQuiston Mortuary in Aurora. Current CDC guidelines will be followed. Memorials may be made to the family to designate at a later date. Condolences may be e-mailed to the family through the mortuary website at higbymortuary.com.

Mary Ethel Reisinger Kruse Larson, the daughter of James and Evelyn (Morss) Reisinger, was born on a farm north of Hampton, on Sept. 27, 1919 and passed away in Grand Island, on July 6, 2020, at the age of 100.

Mary grew up on the family farm south of Murphy and attended country school thru the 8th grade. She helped out on the family farm.

Mary married Lloyd (Bud) Kruse in 1938. They had six children, four boys and two girls. Along with raising their family, Mary sold Avon and Fuller Brush for six years, then worked at the Jones Variety Store for three years. From there, Mary was a cashier for the natural gas company for 20 years. Bud passed away on Aug. 8, 1987 just shortly before their 50th wedding anniversary.

Mary married Raymond Larson on June 13, 1992. Mary and Ray spent one winter in Twenty-Nine Palms, Calif., then for 17 years they spent their winters in Texas. Mary and Ray lived in Boelus, Grand Island and moved to Riverside Lodge in Grand Island in 2015.

Mary enjoyed visiting, playing cards and bowling, traveling, dancing and spending time with family. She was preceded in death

She was preceded in death by her parents; first husband, Bud; infant son, Lyle Everett Kruse, two grandsons, Chuck Purdy and Stacy Kruse and a granddaughter Kristi Kruse. Mary had nine brothers and sisters that preceded her in death, Jack Reisinger, Inez Oswald, Iola Lantzer, Ruth Sillers, Lucille Reisinger, Aaron Reisinger, Oren Reisinger, Adeline Salmon and Audrey Weedin.

Those left to cherish her memory are husband, Raymond Larson of Grand Island; her five children, Gerald (Jan) Kruse of Sunland, Calif., Phyllis (Darrell) Purdy of Aurora, Donald (Jan) Kruse of Aurora; Roger (Bonnie) Kruse of Aurora and Barbara (ElRoy) Epp of Grand Island; Ray’s children, Mark (Karolynn) Larson of Colorado, Charles (Patti) Larson of Tennessee and Duane (Bev) Larson of St. Libory; 22 grandchildren; 49 great-grandchildren and 25 great-great grandchildren and other relatives and friends.