Sandra Yvonne Kruse

Sandra Yvonne Kruse, beloved wife, mother, and daughter, passed away March 18, 2026 at her home in Petaluma. Sandra greatly loved her family, music, and nature.

Sandra was born on December 4, 1961 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Thomas J. LaRusso, a string bass player in the Cleveland Symphony, and Carol Spenard LaRusso. Around the time Sandra started school, the family moved to San Francisco after her father took a position with the San Francisco Symphony. Sandra had special memories of living right across the street from Golden Gate Park, and always considered herself a San Franciscan. Later the family moved to Fairfax in Marin County. She graduated from Sir Francis Drake High School in San Anselmo, and earned a degree in music from San Francisco State University.

Although she was an outstanding flute player, she did not immediately pursue a career in music. Instead, she got involved with New World Library, a specialty publishing house in Marin. She learned a lot about the book business, maintaining a lifelong interest in the book production process.

In 1993, she gave birth to her son, Dean Rienecker. This was a life-changing event for her. She left the publishing business and went back to school to earn a teaching credential. Subsequently, she would spend twenty years teaching music at the elementary school level, first at the Dixie School District in Novato, and later in the Petaluma School District. While she spent time with all the elementary grades from kindergarten through sixth grade, her main focus was on the instrumental music program for the fifth and sixth grades.

Around 2006, she felt the need to reconnect with her own musical performance needs and found the Petaluma Community Band. Apart from enjoying playing music and becoming the first chair flute in her section, she also met her future husband, Barry Kruse. Sandra and Barry were married in 2012, and honeymooned in New York City. This was one of their most memorable trips, especially as it coincided with Thanksgiving. They also established a new home in Petaluma, which Sandra took great pride and joy in redecorating exactly the way she wanted it.

Coming from a musical family, music played a key role all through her life. While at the College of Marin, she got to be part of a choral concert tour in Europe shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, visiting Berlin and Poland among other places. She also played with the College of Marin Orchestra. Probably her favorite musical venue was the Humboldt Chamber Music Workshop, an annual summer event at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt. She was a regular participant for many years. She loved chamber music and was a regular player in other local groups for over twenty years.

Sandra loved nature. Her favorite places to visit were Lake Tahoe and the High Sierras. Almost every year she would make a trip to camp or stay in a cabin and enjoy her natural surroundings. Traveling locally to Monterey and Sacramento and other parts of California were also memorable trips for her. The one major trip that she made outside the United States was to Japan. Sandra, her husband, Barry, her son Dean, and Dean’s friend, Josh, spent two weeks visiting a variety of places in Japan, coming home with a lifetime of memories.

Sandra is survived by her husband, Barry Tod Kruse; her son, Dean Rienecker; her father, Thomas J. LaRusso; and her sister, Vicki Burns. Several aunts, nieces, and cousins also survive her.