William Neil Cruse, passed away on Saturday, August 9, 2025 at Pontotoc Nursing Home. He was 68. He was born on March 16, 1957 to Jimmie and Jean Peden Cruse in Tupelo. Neil retired from the U.S. Marshal Service, where he worked from 1986 to 2016. Before that he was a Park Ranger for the National Park Service at the Natchez Trace Parkway.
Neil graduated from Pontotoc High School in 1975. He then went to Itawamba Junior College and then graduated from Ole Miss. He married Desha Bennett in 1986. He loved the outdoors, fishing, and doing projects on the house and on the land. He loved his hometown of Pontotoc and he loved his family, friends and sweet animals like our kitty, Sunday.
Survivors include his wife, Desha, his brother and sister-in-law, Sammy and Dian Cruse. Also he is survived by his sister and brother-in-law, Mary Catherine and Doug Gaydon. He also leaves behind a niece, Banji Taylor and nephews, John Cruse, and Denver and Sawyer Gaydon.
He is preceded in death by his parents and brother, Sidney Cruse.
There are no words to express enough thanks to his following caregivers from Comfort Keepers, Kathy Pipkin and Ruby Ruff, and Landmark, Keona Brown, the staff at Pontotoc Hospital Nursing Home and from Gentiva Hospice, Chris Bagwell.
A memorial service will be at 11:00 A.M., Thursday, August 14, 2025, at Maple Drive Presbyterian Church in Pontotoc with lunch provided for all of Neil’s friends and family immediately after the service. Browning Funeral Home in Pontotoc is honored to assist the Cruse family.
