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LeRoy Farnham KRUSI^{1, 2}

Born 14 April 1894 in Alameda County, California, USA to Ida Matilda CLAWITER and Herman KRUSI3, 4.  Married Ellen Brooks HINDES 20 January 1919 in San Francisco, California, USA.¹  She was born 18 October 1898 in San Francisco, California and died 31 January 1988 in San Francisco, California.⁷  This marriage ended in divorce.¹  Married Harriet HUME 20 November 1931.¹ Died July 1983 in Walnut Creek, Contra Costa County, California, USA.^{3, 4}  

Children with Ellen HINDES:

Le Roy Hindes "Tim" KRUSI.  Born 10 Jan 1921 in San Francisco, California.^{3, 4}

<LIVING>, male with issue^{1, 2}

Children with Harriet HUME:

<LIVING>, male with issue^{1, 2}

Susan Krusi, born 16 June 1943 in Oakland, Alameda County, California.^{1, 2}

Was chairman of Antung, Inc.⁹

LeRoy was against the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II and served as custodian of the property of some of these persons.  The book "Executive Order 9066: The Internment of 110,000 Japanese Americans", a book of photographs created by Maisie & Richard Conrat contains the following in the acknowledgements: "The Publication of this book was assisted by a generous grant made in honor of four generations of friendship between the Krusi and Takamine families."

View his certificate from France for his service in World War II.

This historian believes that LeRoy was named after a boarder in Mr. & Mrs. Hermann Krusi I's household named Dr. LeRoy Farnham.⁶  Further information about this person is sought.

Newspaper article about a Red Cross event when LeRoy was chairman of the Alameda Chapter.¹⁰

*Grandfather of the Cactus.

On right, LeRoy holding up his glass.  On left, LeRoy front.

Hattie and LeRoy, 1945.  The photograph appears to be labeled "Mr. Lassur."

LeRoy with daughter Susan's future husband.  Probably late 1960s.

Awarded the French War Cross^{1, 5}

CITATIONS

Add three more names to the list of American Field Service men who have won the Croix de guerre.

First Lieutenants Frank O. Robinson and Leroy F. Krusi, and Sergeant William Frizzel, of the Mallet Reserve were awarded them in a decoration ceremony held in Sedan Saturday December 14. The presentation was made by Commandant Doumenc head of the Automobile Service of the French army. All three were in the old camion service at Jouaignes, and entered the American Army in October 1917, remaining in the Mallet Reserve. These citations make six croix guerre and one médaille militaire that American Field Service men in the camion service Reserve Mallet have won.

David DARRAH.

Après approbation du Général Commandant en Chef des forces expéditionnaires américaines en France, le Général Commandant en Chef des Armées françaises du Nord et du Nord-Est cite à l'ordre du Régiment les militaires américains dont les noms suivent:

Sous-lieutenant LE ROY F. KRUSI, Commandant la M. T. Compagnie 366

"Officier énergique. Dans la nuit du 2 au 3 juin 1918, au cours d'un déchargement de munitions dans un dépôt violemment bombardé par avions et partiellement en feu, a réussi, grâce aux dispositions et à son exemple personnel, à remplir complètement la mission qui lui était confiée et a ramené tout son matériel à l'arrière malgré les éclatements de bombes et les explosions des obus provoqués pas l'incendie."

Second Lieutenant Frank. B. ROBINSON, Commandant du Groupe américain dépendant de la Mission américaine :

"Officier plein d'entrain et de bravoure, qui s'est distingué en maintes circonstances par son initiative et son sang-froid. Le 28 mai 1918, son convoi ayant été attaqué de jour à très faible hauteur à la mitrailleuse par 7 avions ennemis, a réussi à le sauver, grâce aux habiles dispositions prises et en faisant exécuter un tir par ses conducteurs."

Sergent William FRIZZEL, Section Groupe T. M. 526.

"Sous-officier technicien d'une activité et d'un dévouement absolu. Le 28 Mai 1918, étant serre-file d'un convoi à proximité immédiate et en vue de l'ennemi, a dépanné un camion sous un feu intense de mitrailleuses, permettant à son chef d'accomplir sa mission sans aucune perte de matériel."

Au Grand Quartier Général, le 17 novembre 1918.

Le Général Commandant en Chef
PÉTAIN."

"About this time a request came from Cairo for volunteers to go to the Western Desert and serve with the Fighting French. A good many men sent in their names. Twelve were selected. Of that number Tom Eston, George Tichenor, and Stan Kulak are dead; Alex McElwain is a prisoner of war; Arthur Stratton, LeRoy Krusi, and Lorenzo Semple were wounded. Alan Stuyvesant (in command of the group---he had not served with the AFS in Syria) was also captured. All ambulances were lost. The fate of the little group at Bir Hacheim forms one of the most heroic and tragic chapters in the story of the desert war." (Chapter 4)

"The battle turned against us. Bir Hacheim fell. Our thoughts turned to the small band of friends we had down there. What had become of them? Meager reports came in-meager and tragic---Tom Esten dead of pneumonia, LeRoy Krusi wounded seriously, George Tichenor killed, Alan Stuyvesant captured, Stan Kulak missing. And that was not the complete story of the ill-fated, heroic little group." (Chapter 6)

LeRoy's military trunk.

1. Mother of loafingcactus, personal knowledge.

2. loafingcactus, personal knowledge.

3. FamilySearch(TM), Social Security Death Index, 30 September 2000.

4. California Death Index.

5. American Field Service Bulletin, Carrie, A full-text electronic library maintained at the University of Kansas, http://www.ku.edu/carrie, New Year, 1919. http://www.ku.edu/carrie/specoll/AFS/library/Bulletins/03dec18.html

6. Hermann Krüsi, ed. E.S. Alling, Recollections of My Life, New York: Grafton Press, 1907 (1,000 copies), p. 302.

"I remembered one day with a similarly beautiful morning-- possibly fourteen years ago-- when our little family, increased by some boarders, one of whom was our trusty friend Dr. Farnham, walked for nearly a mile on the forzen, uneven ice, admiring the little ice-mounds and hills. I suppose little Gertie was . too small to accompany us, but she welcomed her good friend Farnham on his return with her sweetest smile as, "Lily Roy" (Le Roy).

7.  B.T., personal knowledge and research

8. Andrew Geer, Mercy in Hell:  An American Ambulance Driver with the Eighth Army,  Whittlesey House: New York, 1943

9. Raphael Ackermann, Personal Knowledge and Research.

This page last updated 22MAY2006.

thecactus@loafingcactus.com