Ginger R. Kruse

February 16, 1947 - November 23, 2024

Arrangements in the care of: Baldwin-Fairchild Oaklawn Chapel & Oaklawn Cemetery

Ginger Kruse, 77, of Lake Mary, Florida, passed away peacefully in her sleep on November 23, 2024.

She was born in Kinston, North Carolina on February 16, 1947, to her loving parents Robert Rhodes Jr. and Louise Rhodes.

Ginger graduated from Grainger High School in Kinston, North Carolina, and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Home Economics from Meredith College in 1969.

After graduating from Meredith, Ginger moved to Baltimore, Maryland where she met the love of her life, Raymond Kruse. She and Ray married on January 25, 1975, and had one daughter, Jennifer, after four years of marriage.

Ginger went back to College and earned her Master’s Degree in Education in 1989 from Nazareth College in Pittsford, New York, before moving with her family to Florida, where she began her teaching career. She taught kindergarten for 25 years before retiring from Crystal Lake Elementary School in Lake Mary, Florida in 2014.

After retirement from the public school system, Ginger went on to work at the University of Central Florida in the College of Education and Human Performance as an intern coordinator and adjunct professor from 2014 until 2018, when she fully retired.

Ginger enjoyed traveling after retirement and remained active in the community through her work with St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, where she facilitated a women’s Bible study, hosted Bethany dinners, and participated in other memberships and philanthropic activities to include serving in leadership roles and on various committees. She was a member of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society, the International Chapter of the P.E.O. Sisterhood (Chapter Y), and Daughters of the King, where she served as Vice President in 2019.

Ginger was driven by a passion to help others, and she loved people. When she wasn’t with her friends, she enjoyed walks with her dog, Rocky Rhoade, and reading. She lived life to the fullest, maintaining a kind heart and compassion for others. Ginger often told others she is “blessed and highly favored,” as her priest reminded her frequently.

Ginger was preceded in death by her husband Raymond G. Kruse, Jr., her parents Robert Edward Lee Rhodes, Jr., and Louise Pratt Rhodes, and her brother Robert Edward Lee Rhodes, III.

Ginger is survived by her daughter Jennifer, as well as three grandchildren (Austin, Kennedy, and Daniel) and one great grandchild (Ireland).

Please join us in celebrating Ginger’s life on Thursday, December 19, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. at St. Peters Church, 700 Rinehart Rd., Lake Mary, Florida.

In lieu of flowers, kindly make charitable donations to St. Peter's Church.