Robert Howard 'Bob' Kruse was born in Chickasha, OK to Edward and Lucille Kruse, and was brother to Eddie and Sherry. Bob graduated Monterey High School in Lubbock, TX in 1958, completing ROTC a year earlier. He joined the Navy in 1959 and finished his Naval career with honors as an E3 Seaman. His daughter, Jennifer, was born in 1974. Bob worked as an overhead crane operator at U. S. Steel Corp; as an airline food manager; and drove an MTA bus in Los Angeles from 1990 until his retirement in 2006. He and his wife, Barbara, enjoyed traveling the United States.