Chief Cruise’s widow, Christa, talked emotionally of her late husband
TOWN OF ULSTER — Sawkill Road was closed briefly 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,” said 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.”
“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. Whether I’m going home, or to the cemetery for a short little visit, I am going to see the man of my dreams.”
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?”
