CRUCE

Christine Kinsey Cruce, 88, of Aberdeen, died Monday, April 5, 2010, at her home, surrounded by her immediate family.
A celebration of her life will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, April 8, at Bethesda Presbyterian Church in Aberdeen. A private burial service will be held prior to the celebration service. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Boles Funeral Home in Pinehurst.
Mrs. Cruce was born May 23, 1921, in Benson, daughter of Luther J. and Jenny Kinsey. Following a high school all-state basketball senior year at Meadow High School, she attended nursing school at the N.C. State Sanatorium, Hoke County. The sanatorium was affiliated with Moore County Hospital, now FirstHealth. Her graduating class of 1945 was one of the first classes of the hospital’s nursing program. The dorm for nurses is the only original building left on what is now the FirstHealth campus. Following completion of her studies, Mrs. Cruce worked at the sanatorium for 17 years. Subsequent to her first nursing tenure, she went to Moore County Hospital, where she spent the majority of her 27 years nursing in pediatrics. She was head nurse of pediatrics the final five years of her career. Cruce retired in 1986.
Upon retirement, Mrs. Cruce lived a life of giving and helping others through her 30 years of volunteering for Meals on Wheels and more than 25 years with FirstHealth Hospice. She was a faithful and active member of Bethesda Presbyterian Church for more than 40 years, serving in multiple capacities, including deacon, elder and Women of the Presbytery. In addition, she traveled to Bangladesh in 1987, spending three months nursing the needy in a remote village. Shortly upon her return from Bangladesh, she began a lifelong dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail. She completed 80 percent of the trail prior to developing heart problems, which she managed with her faith and inner strength.
Mrs. Cruce was preceded in death by her husband of 37 years, Almon T. Cruce; a stepson, Almon T. Cruce Jr.; sister, Nadine K. Thornton; brothers, Lindo Kinsey, J. Gold Kinsey and Hubert Kinsey.
Survivors include her daughter, Linda Cruce Worley, of Aberdeen, Gloria Cruce Crane and husband, Vance, of Pinehurst; son, G. Thomas Cruce and wife, Sharyn, of Pinehurst; daughter-in-law, Barbara Cruce, of Lumberton; sister, Gerri Young and husband, Leo, of Durham; brothers, Dennis Kinsey and friend, Coraleene Sloan, Crayton Kinsey and his wife, Lucille, all of Benson. She leaves behind 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild, all of whom she adored and helped in some way as they chose their life’s path: Janie Pinkston Sutton and husband, Shelly, of Laurinburg, Jennifer Pinkston, of Southern Pines, Tom Pinkston and wife, Gloria, also of Southern Pines, Catherine Pinkston and daughter, Sophie Grace, of Laurinburg, Heather Cruce Brock, and her husband, Jerry, of Hawaii, Charles and Michaela Worley, of Aberdeen, Ashley Cruce Heathcott and husband, Joseph, of New York City, Tommy Crane, of St. Augustine, Fla., and Stephen Crane and wife, Brandy, of Temple, Ga. Additionally, she was a loving caring aunt for many nieces and nephews, and a great-grandniece, always staying in touch by expressing an interest in their lives.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be made to one of Christine Cruce’s most beloved organizations: FirstHealth Hospice and Foundation of FirstHealth, 150 Applecross Road, Pinehurst, NC 28374; Meals on Wheels, P.O. Box 2083, Southern Pines, NC 28387 or Bethesda Presbyterian Church Food Bank, 1002 N. Sandhills Blvd., Aberdeen, NC 28315.
Condolences may be made to www.bolesfuneralhome.com.
Boles Funeral Home of Southern Pines is handling the arrangements.