Alicia Therese Nowicki Kruk, 97, of Bonsall, California, left this life on February 11th. Born in Yonkers, NY to Joseph A. and Sophye (Wojciechowski) Nowicki, she graduated from Gorton High School, received her B.A. from the College of Mount St. Vincent and earned an M.A. in education from New Paltz State Teachers College.
Alicia traveled to Germany in 1953 to teach the children of American soldiers based in Stuttgart. While on a tour, she advanced diplomacy by spontaneously dancing with a Russian soldier in Soviet-occupied Berlin. Her charms won the heart of Lt. Colonel John S. Kruk, an aide to General Anthony “Nuts” McAuliffe. They married in 1955 and soon returned to the States.
John F. Kennedy received a stunning vote of support on the 1960 presidential trail in Buffalo, NY. Alicia, with her three children in tow, kissed the candidate! Photos of her clutching the Senator appeared in newspapers worldwide.
Following her “fifteen minutes of fame,” Alicia continued her career as an educator. Teaching at Katonah Lewisboro schools, she was known for dramatizing her lessons and acting out The Star Spangler Banner. In 1984, Mrs. Kruk dressed as Lady Liberty and paraded with her students to raise thousands of dollars to refurbish the statue’s beacon in New York Harbor.
Community-minded, she served on the Katonah Woman’s Civic Club and raised funds to build the John Jay High School track. In Bonsall, she was a docent for Rancho Guajome Adobe and president of the Fallbrook Newcomers Club.
Vivacious, demure, and with a mellifluous voice, Alicia was the life of the party. Occasionally, she’d become her alter-ego, the Hollywood actress, “Candyl Wyck.” She always offered a song, a story, or a quip to lift her family and friends. “I’m not criticizing!” She’d insist. “Just commenting.”
Alicia Kruk inspired her five children. Jonathan, the Hudson Valley storyteller, Alane, a special education teacher, Christopher, a vintage home and car restorer, Alecia Anne, a social worker, and James, an Elvis tribute artist. She adored her five grandchildren, Ian, Zosia, Marcin, Lilly, and Max, and graciously licked orange slices from her great-grandson, Dustin. Memorial tributes will be held in New York this April and in California in September. Alicia’s ashes will be blessed and interned at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery next to her beloved husband, John.
Please donate in Alicia Kruk’s name to the Dementia Society https://www.dementiasociety.org/ 1-800-dementia
