Eventually, Darrell moved into door-to-door sales and came across the apartment of a nice farm girl named Janet Franzen, who bought a set of china from him and also accepted a first date invitation. Darrell worked at Jacquard's Jewelry shortly thereafter and married Janet on October 24, 1970. Work transferred Darrell and Jan to Cedar Falls, Iowa, and Mishawaka, Indiana, before they returned to Omaha, Nebraska, in 1975. In the 1980s and early 1990s, Darrell worked in the insurance sales industry until he decided to follow his passion for blackjack dealing at Ameristar Casino in 1996 until retiring around 2004.
Darrell was an avid sports fan, having played baseball and basketball as a kid. He also enjoyed being a spectator for various sporting events, such as Creighton, the Kansas City Chiefs, and especially his grandchildren. He loved music such as the golden oldies and country genres and would often listen to vinyl records on his RCA console turntable or play music videos on YouTube for hours.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Florence and Augusta Kruse (Schumacher); and his siblings, Dolores Johnson, Duane Kruse, Doris Preister, and Darlene Herchenbach.
He is survived by: his wife, Janet Kruse (Franzen) of Omaha; his children, Jason Kruse (Laurel) of Omaha, Amy Petty (Jerry) of Omaha, Jennifer Heinen of Omaha, and Stephanie Knudsen (Michael) of Omaha; his grandchildren, Caleb, Gabby, Keegan, and Lainey Kruse; Aaron, Ethan, and Isaac Petty; Reagan Heinen; Rachel, Anna, and Owen Knudsen; and his brother, Dean Kruse (Carol) of Norfolk.
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