Chief Cruise’s widow, Christa, talks emotionally of her late husband
as Ulster Executive Michael Hein
and the Cruise’s daughter, Ashley, listen in
TOWN OF ULSTER — Sawkill Road was closed for a brief period of time
shortly before noon on Monday in the Town of Ulster, as officials and
law enforcement members gathered for a dedication ceremony honoring the
memory of the late Anthony Cruise, former chief of the town police force.
Cruise retired in December 2015, due to complications of bile duct cancer.
He received a liver transplant the same month, and died one year later,
on December 8, 2016.
Joining the town force in 1992, Cruise rose through the ranks to become
chief in 2012. Previously, he served the Ulster County Sheriff as a deputy,
starting in 1989.
A bridge along Sawkill Road, crossing the creek just north of the Route
209 overpass, re-opened for traffic the following day, December 9, 2016,
after six months of structural repair. Colleagues of Cruise requested
the bridge be named after their beloved police chief.
“He was a humble man; he probably would not want to have anything
named after him. But we’re going to do it anyway, because it’s
the right thing to do,” noted Ulster County Executive Michael Hein,
whose office worked with legislators and town officials to authorize the
dedication.
“Cruise fully understood that our time on this Earth is brief, but
the impact he made was great,” Hein added.
“This is a reminder of what a great man he was, and in my eyes,
will always be,” acknowledged tearful widow Christa Cruise, accompanied
by their daughter Ashley. “We have as a family, lived on this side
of the bridge for 23 years, and have driven this road every day, and still
do,” she said.
“Whether I’m going home, or to the cemetery for a short little
visit, I am going to see the man of my dreams,” Mrs. Cruise added.
County Legislator James Maloney said that the new bridge is designed to
last over 100 years. “The memory of Tony Cruise will last longer
than all of us here today. Children who have not yet been born will come
across this bridge and say, who was Chief Anthony Cruise?”
