I’m so sorry for your loss. Gordy was a very important person in my younger years. Robbie and I were schoolmates from grade school and high school. I spent a lot of my time hanging out at the Kruse house (mostly the garage). Gordy was the one who showed us about being a man. I learned many life lessons from him. He hade a way of showing me what was right and how go about doing it, he led by example. We went on some adventures, be it trips in our jeeps or the ultimate trip to Alaska in the 172 on floats. It was he and I together with a big load of gear. Both of us were new pilots and the weather was nasty most of the way. You learn a lot about people when your hart is in your throat trying to find a place to land and Mother Nature is not being very friendly.
I always admired Gordon and appreciated the time I got to spend with he and his brothers. He was top notch in my book.
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I met Gordy when I was 14 years old, I'm now 84. We had paper routes along with Joe Keene. Our routes were all around Renton Ave S. and Ryan St. and south to Bangor St. I don't remember where Gordy's route was. As we got to know one another, we became good friends. He had a keen interest in cars, and working on them. As time passed , I also became enthusiastic on learning to work on them. I was amazed how Gordy could tear apart old Ford floor shift transmissions and repair them, and put them back together again. I used to watch him and think , I'm going to do that some day. My time finally came when I was 16 and had my own 47 Ford. Gordy helped me tear out that column shift trans. and put in one of those early Ford floor shift transmissions. We used to work on our cars at his house on Renton Ave. One time we were riding down Rainier Ave. Gordy was driving, I was in the middle and Joe Keene was next to me. Bob Thompson was in the back seat. He asked if anybody wanted a cigarette, as I turned to reach for one. I brushed a lit cigarette Bob was holding ,the hot ashes went everywhere .As we were all busy looking for burning ashes, no one was looking at the road ahead. The next thing I know, we slammed into a parked car in front of the Valley Cafe. I remember the hood took flying down the street about 50ft. It so happens that the cafe is a very popular place for Seattle Police. Needless to say , they were on us like stink on crap. I don't remember much after that (we had'nt been drinking) The car Gordy was driving was his Dad's old Buick, 50 I think. The next day I was helping tear apart the wrecked front end. Somehow we managed to get it running again after some trips to the junkyard.
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So sorry for your loss Babette !! Always heard you say what a great man he was , may his memories stay in your heart !! Love patti
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