July 11, 1920 - September 11, 2015
Henry Edward Cruz (Chruszcz) Obituary
(Age 95)
Henry passed away peacefully at home in the early morning of September 11, 2015. Henry was born on July 11, 1920 in Yardley, WA to Michael and Julia Chruszcz and was the only boy in a family of five girls. He attended Foothills Grade School and when the family moved to Spokane he attended Gonzaga High School, after high school he joined the National Youth Association and worked at an NYA camp in Port Townsend, WA where he obtained his Amateur Radio license. Henry entered into the Merchant Marines and served on various Liberty Ships in the Pacific during WWII. After the war he worked at Boeing for a short while and moved back to Spokane where he met his future wife Patricia Anne Langdon and the two were married on June 2, 1959 in Northport, WA. He was a sixty-eight year member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local (lBEW) 73 and worked for Power City Electric for forty years where he was instrumental in the wiring of the third power house at Grand Coulee Dam and Sacred Heart Hospital. Shortly before retiring he built his own house, working on
it weekends and days off. After retiring in 1985 he pursued his hobbies including becoming part owner in a racehorse at Playfair (Reali Persian Deal) and working on his timbered property including logging with his caterpillar tractor. He was also an avid fisherman and hunter and enjoyed being out on the lake or in the woods with his boys. He is survived by his sons Kelly Cruz, Kevin Cruz, Ken Cruz, Kris Cruz, stepdaughter Michele Bennington, and daughter-in-law Kelly Ann Lafferty, grandson Ian Bennington, granddaughters Allixandra Koch, and Elizabeth Koch, and numerous nephews, nieces and cousins. Henry was preceded in death by his father Michael Cruz (Chruszcz), mother Julia Cruz (Chruszcz), baby brother Frederick Chruszcz, wife Patricia Anne Cruz (Langdon), sisters Josephine Vukich, Helen Kalez, Sister Melissa Cruz S.S.N.D. (Dorothy Cruz), Mary Frankovic, and Phyllis Pierce. Visitation will be Friday, September 25th from 10:00am ? 5:00pm at Heritage Funeral Home, with Rosary following at 7pm. Funeral Mass will be held Saturday, September 26th at 1:00pm at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 1503 W. Dean, with interment to follow at Holy Cross Cemetery, 7200 N. Wall St. Family requests all memorial contributions be made in Henry's name to Our Place Ministries, 1509 W. College Ave, Spokane, WA. 99201, phone 509-326-7267.
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