Allan Benjamin Cruickshanks passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on March 31, 2026, at the age of 73, following a courageous 20-year battle with Parkinson’s Disease.
He was born on July 22, 1952, in Schenectady, New York to Benjamin Carpenter Cruickshanks and Edith Coiner Cruickshanks. At the age of seven, he moved to Riverview Road in Apalachin, New York. He spoke fondly of his childhood, telling stories of roaming the neighborhood and playing sports with his friends until the sun went down.
He and his father shared a love of steam engine trains and photography. They traveled the country many times over the years ‘‘chasing trains” and documented their travels with pictures. They later published a book titled “D&H Memories” with photographs of the Delaware and Hudson Railroad.
He earned his Bachelor and Master of Electrical Engineering from Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York, in 1974 and 1976. While there, he made lifelong friends at Clarkson who were by his side not only at Clarkson reunions and hockey games, but also in his final days.
After graduating from college, he joined Raytheon’s Missile Systems Division in Bedford, Massachusetts, where he worked on the Patriot Missile System. He left Raytheon to work as a consultant for McDonnell Douglas in St. Louis before entering the MIT Sloan School of Management in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he received his Master of Science in Management in 1982. After graduation, he got a call to come to Texas to work for ROLM Corporation as a QA Manager. He later became the Manufacturing Manager of the Austin plant, a major hub of manufacturing of internal phone systems for large organizations. ROLM was eventually acquired by IBM and then Siemens.
Soon after moving to Texas, he met Linda Keller on a blind date at Dan’s Hamburgers, arranged by a mutual friend. They talked so long that the restaurant eventually had to ask them to leave for closing. Six weeks later, he proposed on Mount Bonnell, and they were married on October 6, 1984, at Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church.
In 1996, Allan served as a founding member of the school board for Hill Country Christian School of Austin. Alongside the elder board of Hill Country Bible Church and a dedicated team of staff and church members, he helped shape a vision for a Christ-centered, classical, college-preparatory school. For the past 30 years, the school has been equipping students to become Christ-like leaders in their families and communities. Allan and Linda also worked with a small group of Hill Country Bible Church members to plant a church in southwest Austin, hosting the initial planning meetings at their house. Allan served for years at HCBC Southwest, especially by setting up each Sunday morning and packing up afterward while the church met in temporary facilities.
Allan had a great love for the game of hockey. In 2011, Allan wrote to the president of Clarkson University with a comprehensive plan to revitalize the men’s hockey program, which he felt had been in decline for years. He began regular correspondence with the president and a board member, who implemented many of Allan’s ideas and launched a $40 million renovation to make the arena competitive with other programs. He spent the next several years offering advice and discussing his analysis with the president, athletic director, and coach, as Clarkson Hockey went on in 2013-14 to have their first winning season in six years and in 2018 to make the NCAA Tournament for only the third time since the 1990s. Clarkson returned to the tournament in 2019 and won the ECAC Championship for the sixth time in program history. The Clarkson Women’s Hockey team has been successful with three national championships in 2014, 2017 and 2018, and Allan was thrilled to attend the 2017 championship in St. Louis.
Allan and his friends have many happy memories attending games together. Allan often spoke about how God’s plans for your life are far greater than any you could come up with on your own. He liked to tell the story about how he – a New York boy – ended up on a ranch in South Texas. It was something he never envisioned. The family spent many weekends on Linda’s parents’ ranch in Mineral, Texas. In the mid 90s, Allan and Linda purchased the neighboring property where they relocated to in 2006 and began raising Angus cattle and eventually goats. He considered it a true privilege to care for his beloved in-laws, Mary and Tom Keller, as they grew older. He was deeply devoted to his wife, children, and grandchildren. At every ball game, his children knew exactly where to look to find him in the stands. His wisdom guided them through many of life’s decisions from college to career and beyond. Blessed with six grandchildren, in recent years he could often be found rocking a baby, reading bedtime stories, attending band concerts and sporting events, or sitting at the beach as children played around him. His presence at the dinner table will be profoundly missed.
Allan was a man of great faith in Jesus Christ and was confident of his eternal destiny in Heaven. The impact he had on his family’s faith will last for generations.
He is survived by his wife of 41 years Linda Keller Cruickshanks, Mineral, Texas, sister Laurie Recharte (Carlos), son Brian Thomas Cruickshanks (Kate), daughter Karen Elizabeth Cruickshanks, grandchildren Caleb, Jacob, and Lydia Cruickshanks and Lucy, Charlie, and James Fassetta. He was preceded in death by his parents, Benjamin Carpenter Cruickshanks and Edith Coiner Cruickshanks and in-laws, Thomas Walter Keller and Mary Frances Keller.
The service to celebrate his life will be held at Mineral Baptist Church in Mineral, Texas on Saturday, April 11, 2026, at 1:30pm, followed by a graveside service at the Mineral Cemetery. A reception will be held in the Mineral Baptist Church community room immediately after the graveside service. The visitation will be at Eckols Funeral Home in Kenedy, Texas on Friday, April 10 from 4:30-6:40pm.
Flowers are welcome; however, those who wish may honor Allan’s memory with a donation to the Parkinson Voice Project or Epilepsy Foundation Central & South Texas.
Flowers can be sent to Eckols Funeral Home (420 West Liveoak Street, Kenedy, Texas 78119). Find Mineral Baptist Church on Google Maps or Apple Maps.
Irma Gonzales Arenas, Age 71 of Kenedy, TX went to be with her Lord and Savior on April 15, 2026. Irma was born on October 12, 1854 in Nell, TX to the late Ramon and Odilia Gonzales. She was retired, was a loving mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and a member of Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church. She is preceded in death by her parents, Ramon and Odilia Gonzales, sister, Mary Molina. She is survived by her children, Nicholas Arenas of Kenedy, Victoria Arenas of Kenedy, sisters, Modesta Gonzales of Karnes City, Susie Martinez of Karnes City, Lupe Gonzales of Conroe, brothers, Raymond Gonzales, Jr. of Karnes City, Johnny Gonzales of Mathis, Armando Gonzales of Pawnee, grandchildren, Riann Aguirre, Rileigh Aguirre, Rosabella Aguirre and numerous nieces, nephews and extended family members.
