This is just a dedication to a really close friend of mine for the past 15 years. Hank Kruse was born on November 2, 1940 here in San Antonio, Texas. He died this past friday at 11pm as cancer had finally taken his life. He has fought and battled against this disease for 12 years now and is always remembered as a dear friend and most importantly...family. But I want to tell you about how great he really was.
Hank began to learn how to play music when he was 10 years old. He began to refine his music skills and practiced on the bass as he stared into the sky watching planes fly overhead. He also had a fascination of flying. That is why he joined the US Navy in 1959 and spent his career aboard the USS Lexington and USS Hancock aircraft carriers as part of the air crew. He retired 4 years later after serving his country with honor, courage, and commitment.
Soon after his retirement, he became heavily involved with his country music. At the same time, he had a greater passion for his cars. When the muscle car wars began, he and another close friend of ours Mike Crowley became a team sponsored by Chrysler and Mopar Direct Connection. I've seen pictures of him towing his 67' hillborn injected hemi dart with his 70' Dodge Hemi Charger 500. This tag team continued racing until the gas crunch and the racing era had ended.
At that time, Hank began his own trucking company and spent most of his time on the road for another 20 years along with playing in his country band as the lead bass vocalist and racing his cars. I had the honor of racing him in my 80' malibu, except I was one second behind him and he was running with a broken engine mount lol. He was full of life and whenever he got in that charger, he acted just like a kid who is 19 years old with a supercar. Anytime we got around fancy car shows, including carlisle, he would do a massive burnout in the grass and piss everybody off and he would just laugh. Just 4 days before he died, he showed up at the house with the charger and did a nice burnout in the driveway. What was his excuse for that? " I just had to break in your driveway for ya".
He had great success these past few years after releasing 4 of his country albums and won the award of "Country singer of the year" in Europe. But soon he began to have heart problems and went to have a heart valve replacement. Well at the same time, they discovered he had prostate cancer. After numerous chemo therapies they thought they had killed all the cancer cells. Just a few years ago, the cancer had resurfaced. This time he had a tumor in his head the size of a golf ball and both his lungs were filled with tumors the size of oranges. He could barely walk 20 ft without falling short of breath. Watching a dear friend, a father, and someone who is so full of life as if he were a teenager suffer the way he did broke my heart and the hearts of others. But he fought cancer for 12 years and lived on with sheer determination and the ability to fight back. Finally the doc told him 4 months ago he had 2-3 months to live and he would be amazed if he made it to 3. He fought on for those extra months just so he could say "**** you" to cancer. '
He was supposed to go with us to a car show this past sunday because all the proceeds were going to find cures for cancer. My dad and I went anyway and as if he was looking after us, my old man took 1st place and beat an original 70' cuda and a 70 hemi challenger in the mopar class. Another ironic thing may be that he died at the age of 69, the same as his charger. I love him dearly and he was a father to me. To others, he was family, a friend, and a legend.
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Hank was a holy man and we know he is in the arms of the lord. That and probably getting yelled at by god to stop doing burnouts in his charger up there :lol:. Please keep him and the family in your prayers, as we wish him safe passage.
Picture of him (right) with Don Gartlett (left) after Don Gartlett signed his Charger. He also had signatures from Buddy Baker and the other famous mopar racers of the 60's and 70's.
Hank to the right
Hank began to learn how to play music when he was 10 years old. He began to refine his music skills and practiced on the bass as he stared into the sky watching planes fly overhead. He also had a fascination of flying. That is why he joined the US Navy in 1959 and spent his career aboard the USS Lexington and USS Hancock aircraft carriers as part of the air crew. He retired 4 years later after serving his country with honor, courage, and commitment.
Soon after his retirement, he became heavily involved with his country music. At the same time, he had a greater passion for his cars. When the muscle car wars began, he and another close friend of ours Mike Crowley became a team sponsored by Chrysler and Mopar Direct Connection. I've seen pictures of him towing his 67' hillborn injected hemi dart with his 70' Dodge Hemi Charger 500. This tag team continued racing until the gas crunch and the racing era had ended.
At that time, Hank began his own trucking company and spent most of his time on the road for another 20 years along with playing in his country band as the lead bass vocalist and racing his cars. I had the honor of racing him in my 80' malibu, except I was one second behind him and he was running with a broken engine mount lol. He was full of life and whenever he got in that charger, he acted just like a kid who is 19 years old with a supercar. Anytime we got around fancy car shows, including carlisle, he would do a massive burnout in the grass and piss everybody off and he would just laugh. Just 4 days before he died, he showed up at the house with the charger and did a nice burnout in the driveway. What was his excuse for that? " I just had to break in your driveway for ya".
He had great success these past few years after releasing 4 of his country albums and won the award of "Country singer of the year" in Europe. But soon he began to have heart problems and went to have a heart valve replacement. Well at the same time, they discovered he had prostate cancer. After numerous chemo therapies they thought they had killed all the cancer cells. Just a few years ago, the cancer had resurfaced. This time he had a tumor in his head the size of a golf ball and both his lungs were filled with tumors the size of oranges. He could barely walk 20 ft without falling short of breath. Watching a dear friend, a father, and someone who is so full of life as if he were a teenager suffer the way he did broke my heart and the hearts of others. But he fought cancer for 12 years and lived on with sheer determination and the ability to fight back. Finally the doc told him 4 months ago he had 2-3 months to live and he would be amazed if he made it to 3. He fought on for those extra months just so he could say "**** you" to cancer. '
He was supposed to go with us to a car show this past sunday because all the proceeds were going to find cures for cancer. My dad and I went anyway and as if he was looking after us, my old man took 1st place and beat an original 70' cuda and a 70 hemi challenger in the mopar class. Another ironic thing may be that he died at the age of 69, the same as his charger. I love him dearly and he was a father to me. To others, he was family, a friend, and a legend.
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Hank was a holy man and we know he is in the arms of the lord. That and probably getting yelled at by god to stop doing burnouts in his charger up there :lol:. Please keep him and the family in your prayers, as we wish him safe passage.
Picture of him (right) with Don Gartlett (left) after Don Gartlett signed his Charger. He also had signatures from Buddy Baker and the other famous mopar racers of the 60's and 70's.
Hank to the right
These first passes I make tonight will be for you buddy. Hope your with me.
