Sydney Ann Kruse of Zig Zag, Oregon passed away surrounded by her family on January 7, 2011. She was 52.
A celebration of her life will be held on Monday, January 17, 2011 at 11 a.m. at The Resort at The Mountain in Welches, Oregon.
Syd was born in wisdom and glory on October 10, 1958 in Fort Polk, Louisiana to William Eastham and Judith Corinne Shainholtz.
Syd was raised in Lakewood, Colorado where she began her lifelong love and passion for ski racing. She went on to ski race and coach at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She graduated in 1982 from University of Colorado with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. Summers in college were spent coaching ski racing and leading youth backpack trips at Swiss Challenge in Zermatt, Switzerland.
From there she pursued her Masters degree in Exercise Physiology at University of Washington where she pioneered research on the effects of athletics on women’s bodies. She impacted many young aspiring ski racers as a coach at Winter Park, Colorado, Green Mountain Valley School in Waitsfield, Vermont and the Mt. Hood Ski Team at Timberline ski area in Oregon. In, 1988 she was hired on as the first female to coach the U.S. Women’s Alpine Ski Team.
While travelling with the U.S. team throughout the world, she couldn’t shake the predatory advancements of Steve Kruse who was working for K2 at the time. She fell in love and married Steve Kruse in Grand Lake, Colorado on September 8, 1990. Together they have raised their amazing children Kiki, age 16 and Dan, age 14 in Zig Zag, Oregon.
Not only was she hugely devoted to her children, coaching their soccer and ski racing, she also gave selflessly to the local and regional community volunteering her talent. She actively gave her time at the Mt. Hood Preschool, Welches Elementary and the Middle School, where she ran the STAR reader program. She grew vegetables every season at the Welches community garden, and supported other women with breast cancer through her “Silk for Solace” program.
Anything Syd was passionate about she excelled at including: skiing, flyfishing, windsurfing, gardening, yoga and art. Her beautiful artwork has been shown in many local galleries and was published recently in the book, “Understanding Montessori.”
Syd’s journey through life was filled with courage, grace, dignity and adventure. Although she is absent in body, her loving, intuitive, insightful spirit will carry on through every single person she has touched.
Syd is survived by her husband Steve, daughter Kiki, and son Dan of Zig Zag, Oregon; her mother Judith Wiebe Shainholtz of Thornton, Colorado, her brother Jeff Shainholtz, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, her sister, Susan Christman of Larkspur, California, her sister Sara Shainholtz of Denver, Colorado and her stepmother, Connie Shainholtz of Highlands Ranch, Colorado.
Donations in her honor may be made to the LiveStrong Foundation, LIVESTRONG? National Mail Processing Center,?P.O. Box 6003?, Albert Lea, MN 56007-6603, donations@livestrong.org.