Lonnie A. Kruse
December 28, 1948 ~ September 23, 2016 (age 67)
Kruse, Lonnie Arthur ‘BigL’ husband of Carol Rae(Wyatt)
Burial Date: 2016, 09/28 Age: 67 Lot:1186 A
Lonnie A. Kruse, 67, died September 23, 2016, in rural Ellsworth, Kansas. He was born December 28, 1948, in Ellsworth, Kansas, the son of Arthur E. and Helen Louise Hurd Kruse. Lonnie has resided in Sterling since 1981, formerly of Lorraine, Norton, and Kiowa. He graduated from Holyrood High School with the class of 1967. Lonnie received his Bachelor of Science degree from Sterling College in 1971 and Master’s degree from Wichita State University in 1972. He taught at Norton and Kiowa in the public school system from 1972-1981. He was Professor of Physical Education, former Athletic Director and Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Sterling College from 1981-2014. Lonnie was also a lifelong farmer and rancher. He was a member of the First Baptist Church, Lyons where he served as usher and was a former Deacon; member of the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association; he was inducted into the Sterling College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994; The Sterling College Basketball Court was named in his honor in 2013; the KCAC Coach of the year award was named in his honor in 2014; in 2015 he was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame; he will be inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in March 2017. On May 23, 1970, Lonnie was united in marriage with Carol R. Wyatt in Sterling. She survives of the home. Other survivors include 4 daughters, Lisa Surface of Lecompton, Kansas, Darci and Jason Briar, Stacie and Jeremy Lewis, and Erin and Rob Newberry all of Sterling; sister, Dixie and Swisher and Jim of Inman; 13 grandchildren; Seth and Kade Surface; Lucas, Kali and Isaac Briar; Jacob, Kaitlin, Emma and Austin Lewis; Wyatt, Caleb, Colton and Brooklyn Newberry; 8 nieces; 2 nephews; and many great-nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents. Funeral services will be 10:00 A.M., Wednesday, September 28, 2016, at the Sterling College Gymnasium with Rev. Joel Grizzle officiating. Visitation will be 2:00 to 7:00 P.M., Tuesday, September 27, 2016 at First Baptist Church in Lyons with family present 5:00 to 7:00 P.M. Memorials can be made to Sterling College Women’s Basketball Program or First Baptist Church of Lyons in care of Birzer Funeral Home, Sterling.
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Lonnie Kruse lived life and coached basketball ‘the right way’
By Brad Hallier The Hutchinson News bhallier@hutchnews.com
Justin Morris was still in college in the spring of 1999. A senior at Sterling, Morris had exhausted his soccer eligibility the fall before but was going to return to Sterling that fall to finish up his degree.
In May, the position for head soccer coach opening. Morris didn’t think much of it. All he was concerned with was finishing school, and helping then Sterling women’s basketball coach and athletic director Lonnie Kruse with the harvest.
The decision to help Kruse turned out to be one of the biggest and most important of Morris’ life.
“When I was out there helping, he asked me what I thought about coaching men’s and women’s soccer,” Morris said.
Morris was understandably a little taken aback. Here he was, not even finished with college and being asked if he wanted to be a collegiate soccer coach.
Morris accepted Kruse’s offer. He’s now in his 18th season coaching the Sterling women’s soccer team.
But that’s not all Morris was grateful for when it came to Kruse, who died unexpectedly Friday at the age of 67 and whose funeral was Wednesday. Morris’ wife, Karna, played basketball for Kruse at Sterling. And because Morris didn’t have to leave Sterling to find another job when he finished school, he was able to settle down with Karna in Sterling, where the two have raised their daughter Kayla and son Cameron. Morris’ eldest daughter, Christina, played for Kruse.
“Sterling College has been a big part of my life. (Kruse) had a big part in getting me and Karna together, and he gave me a start in coaching,” Morris said. “I’ve built a life here, and it’s because he gave me an opportunity.”
Kruse’s death has hit Sterling – the college and the city – hard. Morris said Kruse was a regular at athletic events in the city, at all levels.
Kruse was a beloved figure, and not just at the college that named its basketball court after Kruse, who spent more than 30 years building and coaching a NAIA national power.
Megan Heckel, a high school basketball and volleyball standout at Central Christian who played for Kruse from 2008-2012, said Kruse had friends and respect everywhere.
“I have some old friends, or people I played against in the KCAC, say he was such a great man,” Heckel said. “Even those he coached against had a lot of respect for him.
“He’s been there since the early ‘80s. His family was raised there, and everybody in the area knows who he is. My husband grew up in Sterling and knew who he was. This is affecting a lot of people in the area because he had such an impact on a lot of people’s lives.”
Morris knows that first hand. Morris said the people who have called, texted or offered condolences have come from far beyond Kansas, including people living on the east coast or the west coast.
Kruse retired after the 2012-2013 season. He finished with a 706-244 record. That is the most wins in Kansas women’s college basketball history.
Even after Kruse retired, he continued to visit the Warrior coaches.
“He’s been retired for a couple of years, but he still came into the office weekly,” Morris said. “He always gave us a bunch of grief. Right now, it’s gotten to the point where I’m asking, ‘When is he walking in?’”
To those who knew him best, Kruse was more than a coach. Yes, his success at Sterling played a part in his popularity, but the reasons Kruse was beloved went far beyond basketball.
“The one thing everyone will say about him is he cared about people,” Morris said. “I watched him coach, Karna played for him, (Christina) played for him for a year, and I know he cared about doing things the right way. He was a father-like figure and a mentor. The man did it the right way.”
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Most of the time I really don’t care for “windshield time” and driving, but last night was actually a good five hours in the car. It gave me some time to reflect on the last five days and specifically Tuesday and Wednesday and try to put everything into perspective. I also got to spend some time talking to an old friend during the drive that had some great memories and his own perspective on what Coach Kruse meant not only to the Sterling family but to NAIA Basketball and women’s basketball in the state of Kansas.
First I did not want to leave a family that has meant so much to me through the years knowing how bad they are hurting right now, but at the same time, I wanted to get home to see my wife and daughter and give them a huge hug. I guess above all that was what I learned from Coach….FAMILY FIRST. He always handled it that way and I truly believe that is why his own family was always so willing to accept almost anyone as a part of their family.
Yesterday was a true testament to the man that Coach Kruse was. All you had to do was look at the crowd. There were so many people in the same room, that normally you just could not comprehend how they all came together for one reason. That was just coach. Over 50 former players, at least 15 collegiate coaches and administrators (even a couple of Bethany coaches), basketball officials, farmers, ranchers, veterinarians, college professors, longtime members of the Sterling, Lyons, and Lorraine communities, and many more. Shawn Reed was ridiculously funny but also poignant at the same time. Coach would have loved that speech, but been mad at Shawn for selling him out to Coach Mary!! Joel Grizzle did an amazing job with the service and just as BigL told him, he “brought the heat”!!!
It was definitely a time to shed some tears, but there were also a lot of laughs and smiles to be had as well. Seeing former players is always something that puts a smile on my face. So true again yesterday as there were so many Warriors there, but the conversation that I had with three young ladies that I coached at Barton put a huge smile on my face. The fact that they KNEW how much Coach Kruse meant to me, let me know that I was able to pass on at least a little bit of him in my coaching. Briana Book- Page your words will forever stick with me.
I still hurt for Lisa Kruse Surface, Jason Darci Briar, Stacie-Jeremy Lewis, Erin and Carol, but know for sure that they are surrounded by a community that loves them and will continue to care for them while coach is not there in body. I know that coach’s spirit will live on in them as well as all of the grandchildren. I also know that the SC basketball program will carry on his legacy because that is the way that Coach K.c. Bassett knows best.
In all, there were many scriptures that different people used and they all seemed to fit coach very well. The one that I keep coming back to is 2 Timothy 4:7 – “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Thanks for everything Lonnie!!!
Stone for Infant Cora Jones 1876 and sister Lulu Jones, 1871-1876
