In the earliest minutes of Thursday, May 2, 2025, seventeen days shy of her birthday, Phyllis Elaine (Thurston) Kruse, 86, died at the Jack Byrne Center for Palliative & Hospice Care with family at her side, after a short illness.
She was born May 19, 1938 “upstairs over Mr. Finley’s Store” in West Hartford, Vt., the fourth child of Oliver A. and Florence T. Thurston.
Her childhood memories of spending time with her siblings and many cousins at her Grammie and Grampa Thurston’s farm just across the White River, or with her Grammie and Grampa Thompson in Jefferson, N.H. and West Bridgewater were cherished and told often. She attended school in Quechee, often walking from “the far end of the village” to play with friends in Dewey’s Mills or a few miles up on Old Quechee Road. Phyl also attended schools in Pomfret and Hartford as the family relocated for work. Her father, whom she adored, worked on the railroad, among other things, and she’d walk to meet him as he returned each evening, often going fishing with him in the evening, or finding a special treat he had put into his lunch box, just for her.
Phyllis married Werner K Kruse, Jr., on Oct. 11, 1955 in Springfield, Vt. In November 1957, their daughter Karla was born, and their son Wayne was born in January 1959. They built a home in Woodstock in 1960 and lived there all their lives. Werner died in 1981 and Phyllis was determined to keep their home.
Phyl worked hard. She spent over thirty years working in retail businesses in Woodstock, then after “retiring” she turned to being a home health aide and companion to several local residents.
She loved cooking, baking, and decorating her home beautifully each year at Christmas with Karla, gardening, reading and bird-watching on her beloved screen porch she had wanted “all her life,” and coloring intricate pictures in adult coloring books, shading the details with her colored pencils.
Phyl and Karla had many fun, much-loved vacations together throughout the southwestern U.S., the Caribbean, Iceland, and earlier family camping trips to Canada, where she always enjoyed visiting Prince Edward Island where her Grampa Thompson was born.
Family was most important. She was very proud of her two kids, and Wayne’s wife of over 44 years, Ginny. Wayne and Ginny’s daughters Jessica and Kasey have brought joy into her life for more than 40 years. Kasey then brought two great-grandsons, Brady and Kolby, into her life and they have kept the spark and love strong.
Phyllis was pre-deceased by her parents, Oliver A. and Florence Thurston, her husband Werner K. Kruse, Jr., brother Oliver C. Thurston, and her dear friend and sister Glennis Thurston Bartlett. She is survived by her daughter Karla Kruse of Woodstock, son Wayne Kruse (Ginny) of Barnard, granddaughter Jessica Kruse of Stafford, Va., granddaughter Kasey Kruse of Barnard, great-grandsons Brady Kruse-Ely and Kolby Kruse-Ely of Barnard and Brownsville, a sister Beverly Thurston Mandigo of Unity, N.H., and nieces and nephews.
A graveside service will be held on Friday, May 23 at 3 p.m. at Riverside Cemetery, Woodstock.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Lucy Mackenzie Humane Society, 4832 Route 44, Brownsville, VT 05037.
An online guestbook can be found at cabotfh.com.
