Mary J (Wey) Cruser, 83 years of age, of Peebles, Ohio, passed away on Monday, August 31, 2026, at the Monarch Meadows Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, in Seaman, Ohio.
Mary was born on December 28, 1942, in Boone, North Carolina, the daughter of the late Dr. Herbert W. and Ruth J. “Jean” (Jensen) Wey. Mary was married to Roger S. Cruser on July 2, 1965. Mary received her undergraduate degree from The University of Miami, Miami, Florida, and her Master of Education from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.
She started working as a teacher in West Palm Beach (Palm Beach County), Florida, Piscataway (Middlesex County), New Jersey, Mountain City (Johnson County), Tennessee, and the Adams County Ohio Valley School District. During her tenure as a teacher, she was considered outstanding by her peers and administrators.
Mary was also a pioneer in bringing educational technology to Adams County schools. Recognizing the possibilities that computers and new software could offer students and teachers, she sought funding and support through such organizations as the Eisenhower Foundation and SchoolNet. She traveled to Boston for training and professional development, where she learned about emerging educational technologies and built relationships with others working in the field. She brought that knowledge back to Adams County where she developed a team of educators to take the first steps into the rapidly changing world of educational technology.
Mary was a member of the Cincinnati Church of The Brethren. In addition to her husband, Roger, Mary is survived by her son and his wife, Preston and Susanna Cruser of Milford, Ohio; and her daughter and her husband, Erika and Dan Sowry, of Heath, Ohio. She will be missed by her four grandchildren, Devyn Sowry, Winter Cruser, Pax Cruser, and Zen Cruser She is also survived by her three sisters, Linda Leach of Goldsboro, North Carolina, Buddie Wetli of Boone, North Carolina, and Brenda Wey and her husband Dr. John Fillinger of Boone, North Carolina.
Mary’s family will be planning a celebration of life, to be held at a later date.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by the Wallace-Thompson Funeral Home.
Please visit www.wallacethompsonfuneralhomes.com to leave words of comfort for the family in their online guestbook.