John Allen Cruce

John Allen Cruce "Johnny" - was born on Sunday October 10, 1943, in the old St. Joseph Hospital in Tacoma, Washington. He died on January 12, 2026, in SeaTac, WA. He was the son of Jeanette Rose Gregg (Wickstrom) and the step-son of Julian "Bud" Gregg of Tacoma, Washington. He never married.

Mr. Cruce graduated from P.S. du Pont High School in 1963 in Wilmington, Delaware. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on April 11, 1963, and served on active duty from June 20, 1963, to June 19, 1967 (USMC#: 2050328). He rose to the rank of Corporal. The day after he reported for duty at Henderson Hall, Headquarters Marine Corps, in Arlington, Virginia, President Kennedy was killed on November 22, 1963. He attended his Commander-In-Chief's funeral in Arlington National Cemetery.

Mr. Cruce was later assigned to the 2nd Marine Division at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina where he served as an Infantryman, an Artilleryman, and an Administrative Supply man. He traveled several military ships to the Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas. He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal. He was Honorably discharged on June 19, 1967.

He received an associate's degree in arts and sciences in 1969 from Shoreline Community College. He attended the University of Washington for one year majoring in Political Science. While attending college, he had temporary summer jobs with the International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union (ILWU), Local 51, and the Checkers Association.

On November 3, 1970, Mr. Cruce was elected to the office of Precinct Committeeman as a Democrat for the First Precinct in Mountlake Terrace, Washington during the Washington State General Election. He served as a delegate from Snohomish County to the Washington State Democratic Convention that same year. In December 1970, he started to work for the Internal Revenue Service in Seattle where he worked as a property clerk. He once traveled all around Washington State to inventory property.

On October 14, 1972, Mr. Cruce moved to Washington, D.C. to begin the major career of his life on October 16, 1972, with the U.S. Department of State where he worked for over 30 years rising to the grade of GS-14. His first job with State was as an Indexer Trainee, GS--4, in the Records Branch reading foreign affairs documents to and from U.S. embassies around the world and indexing them into the State Department's first automated records system.

He then became Assistant Branch Chief for the Written Communications Indexing and Distribution Branch which processed, in part, the Secretary of State's personal correspondence, diplomatic notes from foreign embassies, and mail addressed to the President from people in foreign countries. He moved into his first home at 845 South Irving, Arlington, Virginia in 1977. In 1985 he joined the Department's Records Management Staff and worked with the U.S. National Archives. Here he became an expert in the foreign affairs records of the State Department.

Between the Marine Corps and the State Department, he traveled to 56 countries. He visited U.S. embassies to inspect and survey records. Along the way, he saw many of the world's greatest monuments: the Forbidden City and Great Wall of China, the pyramids of Egypt, the Taj Mahal, the ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru, and many more. During his long career Mr. Cruce received many commendations and awards for his work such as a personal letter from Vice President Nelson Rockefeller and the Secretary of State's Career Achievement Award.

On May 18, 2003, he retired as the Chief of the East Asian and Pacific Branch which managed the Freedom of Information Act for that area.

On May 20, 2003, he moved back to Washington State to the city of Tukwila next to Seattle. He served as a delegate to the Washington State Democratic Convention in Tacoma in 2004 and in Seattle in 2012.

On April 2, 2013, he became a member of the Board of Directors, Duwamish Tribal Service, Duwamish Indian Tribe in Seattle as a nontribal member.

Mr. Cruce enjoyed many personal interests: history, genealogy, and photography. He was a member of the Tukwila Historical Society. He was also a subscribing member of the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. and attended its dedication on 9/17/2004 seeing 550 Indian Tribes from all over the Western Hemisphere. In his family research, he was able to trace his roots back to 1623 in Massachusetts and to the 1400s in England. He took over 42,000 slides and 6,000 photographs during his 612,000 miles of travel to 56 countries and all 50 States, crossing the U.S. 104 times. He won several amateur photography contest awards.

Mr. Cruce is survived by his half-sister, Judith Felde of Streamwood, Illinois; his nephew, Jerry Foster Jr. of Port Angeles, Washington, along with many family and friends.