Smyth County, Virginia, Obituaries: Claude Graham Cruey Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Smyth County News & Messenger http://www.smythnews.com/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial entities, when written permission is obtained from the contributor, so long as all notices and submitter information are included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Obituaries for December 1, 2004 Smyth County News Wednesday, December 8, 2004 Cruey Claude Graham Cruey, 93, of Winter Park, Fla., died Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2004. He was born March 20, 1911, in Shawsville to the late Joseph Cruey and Daisy Virginia (Spriggs) Cruey. He lived between Marion and Tazewell from 1915 to 1940. His brothers and sisters, Pete (Carey), Lee, Dorothy, Bessie and Preston Cruey preceded him in death. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1940 and when the Air Force became a separate service, he opted to go with the U.S. Air Force. In 1967, after a total of 27 years of service and while stationed at Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota, he retired as master Sergeant and moved to Orlando, Fla. During his career, he served in humanitarian services such as the first Arctic Search and Rescue and the Berlin Airlift. During the airlift, crews flew almost constantly during the blockade of the city. Survivors include his wife of 59 years, Lorene; his children, Joseph, Claudia and Steven; seven grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren with another due any day. He was honored Nov. 18, 2004, in a memorial service held at Downey Memorial Church in Union Park which he attended since his arrival in Orlando in 1967.