Carolyn Ann Cruise, 97, of Peoria, Arizona passed away at home Monday evening, November 16, 2020. Carolyn is survived by her loving sister, Dorothy Vukovich, her daughters Lynn Priest and Suzanne Graves-Hall, her stepdaughter Gratia Milliken, her grandchildren: Ben Priest, Jessie Davis, Robert Hall, Richard Hall, and Caroline Martin, their respective partners, and her great grandchildren: Winfield Billings, Brooklyn Davis, Elizabeth Hall, and Quintin Hall, and step-great-grandson Ethan Morrell. Carolyn was blessed with several groups of dear friends, from Maine, Massachusetts, and Arizona. She was predeceased by her parents Ann and William Mickelsen, her first husband Donald Graves, her husband Richard Cruise, her brother-in-law Peter Vukovich, and her son-in-law Kerry Priest.
Born Carolyn Mickelsen, Carolyn had a happy childhood with her sister. They grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After school, she held several jobs, where she met her first husband, Donald Graves, who was an electronics engineer. The couple moved many times as Donald’s career took off. They moved to Massachusetts, eventually settling in Woburn, where they raised their daughters. In 1965 they moved again to Montville, New Jersey. They moved back to Burlington, Massachusetts in 1970 and were living there when Donald passed away in 1976.
A few years later, Carolyn met Richard Cruise while working at the Waltham Hospital. They moved to Peoria, Arizona to be closer to Carolyn’s parents, sister, and brother-in-law, where Carolyn worked in real estate. She moved into her family’s home with her sister after Richard’s passing and took part in many fun adventures through those years with her sister.
Carolyn enjoyed life to the fullest. She loved to read exciting novels, especially mystery, intrigue, and fantasy. She loved to play cards and dominos with her friends. She delighted in participating in activities with friends from her mobile home community. She enjoyed traveling to many places, including Mexico, Hawaii, the Panama Canal, Puerto Rico, Alaska, and Prince Edward Island. In her later years, she continued that love of traveling in Arizona, enjoying all of its beauty. She and her sister participated in a variety of wonderful activities over the last 15 years through the Peoria Community Center. Carolyn also loved music and shared her lovely voice with many people throughout her life. She performed with her sister Dorothy on live radio in the late 1920s, billed as “The Mickelsen Twins”, and was her childhood church organist. She was part of the “Rainbow Girls” group and regularly sang for the soldiers in Milwaukee during WWII. She was the Junior Choir Director at the First Baptist Church of Woburn, Massachusetts for nine years, and a Senior Choir member there until she moved to Arizona. She was most recently an active choir member at The Church at Litchfield Park in Arizona. She enjoyed joining the choir at any church she visited.
A service of remembrance will be planned at a later date for Carolyn’s family. In lieu of flowers, donations may be given in her name to The Phoenix Rescue Mission at: https://phoenixrescuemission.org/ and Salem Animal Rescue League at: https://www.sarlnh.org/donate-now
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