Neal-Tarpley Parchman Funeral Home Reporting
news@clarksvillenow.com
Franklin Roosevelt once said, “Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy, forget in time that men have died to win them.” Just such a man, who did his duty without complaint, and made this world a better place, has gone on to a better place of his own.
MSG Leonard George Kruck, USA (Retired), 76, of Clarksville, TN, died Sunday, May 18, 2014 from illness caused by exposure to Agent Orange while doing his duty in Vietnam.
Never one to complain about any hardship, he crossed over with the characteristic courage and grit that marked him his whole life. He was born on June 28, 1937 in Wheeling, WV, to the late Leonard Kruck and Valta Marie White Kruck. Losing his parents at an early age, Leonard was forced to grow up before his time, before finding his way into the Army and then into the brotherhood of the Airborne. Leonard steadily pursued his career in the Airborne Infantry through two tours in Vietnam, the first with the 101st Airborne, the second as a “Red Hat” advisor to the South Vietnamese Airborne.
As a young sergeant, Leonard met and married the love of his life, Bonnie Joyce Hawkins Kruck, and together they balanced Army and family life in an enduring, happy and loving union lasting 52 years, through distant postings, hardships and joys, while raising four children and having great fun along the way. Retiring from the Army, Leonard continued to exercise his nimble mind by first returning to college, earning his Bachelor of Science degree in 1982 as an honor student, perpetually on the Dean’s List, much to the dismay of his oldest daughter, who found herself a classmate with her father. Upon graduation, he embarked on a second career of 18 years, developing young minds and returning to uniform in the teaching profession as an instructor in JROTC. Following his second retirement, Leonard found renewed faith as a member of Excell Baptist Church.
Though understated in manner and gentle in demeanor, and an outstanding soldier by all standards, his uniform blouse bore mute testimony to his many decorations and awards: Three Bronze Stars with Combat “V” for Valor, The Purple Heart, The Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star, Vietnam Service Medal with six Campaign Stars, The Vietnamese Parachutist Badge, The Silver Wings of an Army Parachutist, and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge. A Screaming Eagle to the end, he was a Life Member of the 101st Airborne Association.
A man of restless body and curious mind, Leonard found himself drawn to a multitude of interests. An avid bird watcher, he was an active member of the National Audubon Society, and he was an active participant with Bonnie in their mutual love of gardening and landscaping. A voracious reader, and a fixture at the Clarksville Library, you would never find him without a volume of history close at hand. Later in life he found the means, and the basement space, to indulge his life-long fascination with trains, and the grandeur of his model train layout, complete with a miniature world created by Bonnie, was simply magnificent!
He is preceded in death by his wife Bonnie, with whom he is certainly now reunited to continue their rare love story, one that transcends romance. His proud legacy includes his four children and their children surviving him: Valta (Michael) Creed of Hopkinsville, KY/Jacksonville, FL, John (Jan) Kruck of Chesapeake, VA, Joy (Edward) Porter of Trinity, AL, Kyle Kruck of Clarksville, TN; brother-in-law Thomas (Marylin) Hawkins of Owensboro, KY; sister-in-law Ida Wells of Scots Depot, WV; grandchildren Cristy Lynn Creed of Houston, TX, Charles Edward Porter, II of Ft. Polk, LA, and Benjamin Harrison Creed, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD.
Funeral Service will be at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, May 21 at Neal-Tarpley-Parchman Chapel, with Terrell Marcom officiating. Burial will follow at Kentucky Veterans Cemetery – West, in Hopkinsville, KY, where this fine old soldier will receive his final salute with full military honors. Military personnel will serve as Pallbearers.
Visitation will be from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. on May 20, and from 10 a.m. until the hour of service Wednesday at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in Leonard’s name be made to Excell Baptist Church, 328 Excell Road, Clarksville, TN 37043; The 101st Airborne Division Association, P.O. Box 929, Fort Campbell, KY 42223-0929; or the Clarksville-Montgomery County Public Library, 350 Pageant Lane, Suite 501, Clarksville, TN 37040.
The family would like to thank Dr. R. Patel, Dr. J. Ansell, the staff of TN Oncology and the staff of AseraCare for the excellent care and kindness they gave to Leonard during his illness.
Arrangements entrusted to Neal-Tarpley-Parchman Funeral Home, 1510 Madison Street, Clarksville, TN 37040; (931) 645-6488.
Online condolences may be made at www.neal-tarpley.com.