Dorothy Ellen Cruise

Dorothy Ellen Lehman Cruise, the first of four children born to Sylvia and Clarence Lehman, entered this world on October 20, 1933, in Haydenville, Ohio. She passed away on September 8, 2022, just six weeks before her 89th birthday. While those she left behind are saddened by her passing and will miss her loving, yet feisty, presence, they rejoice in the fact she now resides with her Heavenly Father.

Born with an adventurous nature, Dorothy left her small, rural hometown after high school — where she played saxophone in the marching band for four years — to pursue her nursing education at Grant Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. She told stories of how, just a few months into their schooling, the nursing students often ran the hospital floors overnight. Her rigorous training included three years of 16-hour days, followed by a senior year of practicums and course work at Ohio State University and Children’s Hospital in Columbus, as well as a Toledo-area hospital.

After beginning her first nursing job in Columbus, Dorothy and her roommate went on a blind, double date with two engineers, and thus began her love story with T.C. Cruise. From their first meeting, neither Dorothy nor T.C. ever had eyes for anyone else, and they were married within a year on January 19, 1957.

Three years and two sons later, Dorothy and T.C. left their extended families and moved to Rancho Cordova, California, where T.C. had landed a job with Aerojet General. Two more sons arrived, and Dorothy resumed her nursing career working nights at nearby St. Francis Hospital.

In 1971, Dorothy was undaunted by the challenge of another cross-country move to Knoxville, Tennessee, when T.C. accepted a position with TVA. Soon Dorothy was working for the University of Tennessee Medical Center as a surgical nurse, hired on the spot by her new boss when she saw Dorothy’s scores on the nursing exam she was required to take before her employment.

Shortly, Dorothy became the head charge nurse on UTMC’s Open Heart Surgical Team, a position she held until she retired in 1990. Along the way, she assisted with UT’s first kidney transplant, was a member of two U.S. Presidential stand-by surgical teams, and was involved in thousands of surgeries. One of the heart surgeons on staff at the time refused to begin surgery before asking, “Cruisey?” As soon as she replied, “I’m here,” scalpel met skin.

Midway through her UT tenure, Dorothy encountered a patient who had a significant impact on her — a young child who was deaf and afraid. As she did her best to comfort the girl, Dorothy realized she could communicate with her and other hearing impaired patients if she learned sign language. She did, and from that point forward she was able to ease the fears of other patients by communicating with them through American Sign Language.

Throughout her career, Dorothy was an active member of the Association of Operating Room Nurses, which enabled her to stay current in nursing practices while allowing her to attend conferences around the world. She visited China and the Great Wall, Spain, Australia, New Zealand (where she became a lifelong rugby fan after attending a match), Greece, France, the British Isles, and other far-flung locales.

In their retirement, Dorothy and T.C. continued their adventures traveling stateside with their children and grandchildren, their cherished dog Bandit, and the Knoxville Good Sam’s Camping Club. They developed enduring friendships with many of their camping buddies, especially Leila and Johnny Grimes, Judy and Bob Morris, and Alice and Bill Baird.

Dorothy loved July 4th and Christmas, funny movies and mystery novels, lifelong learning and helping heal others, roadside picnics and cooking family dinners, German shepherds and shih tzus, UT football and Lady Vols basketball, babies, Taco Tuesdays, and Cruise-family lore. Most of all, Dorothy loved spending time with T.C., her four boys and their families, and her wide circle of friends.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her beloved husband T.C., her parents Sylvia and Clarence Lehman, sisters Carolyn McGrath and Ruth Lehman, and brother Roy Lehman. She leaves her sons and daughters-in-law Dean and Mary, Tom and Sandy, Paul and Lisa, and Steve and Jamie; grandchildren Chris Cruise (Chrissy), Sarah Cruise, Taylor Cruise, Natalie Cruise Cook (Garrick), Trenton Cruise, Kristin Cruise, Lehman Cruise, and Zack Beeler (Mariyah); great-granddaughters Savannah and Parker Cook, and Riley Beeler; and many dear nieces, nephews, and friends. She was also an “American” mother to three foreign exchange students, Bjorn Strahle (Sweden), Ulbe Boersma (the Netherlands), and Mauricio Pinzon (Colombia).

The family welcomes friends for a Visitation at Berry Highland South, 9010 West Simpson Road in Knoxville, on Wednesday, September 14, from 4-6 pm with a Celebration of Life service immediately following at 6pm, with the Reverend Terry Parton officiating. Friends may view the service via livestream on Berry Highland South’s Facebook page. Online condolences may be made at BerryHighlandSouth.com.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Knoxville’s Ronald McDonald House or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis.