Louis Krueger

Louis Fredrick "Lou" Krueger was called Home on Saturday, October 14, 2017 at St. Francis Hospital in Breckenridge, MN at the age of 85. Memorial service will be held 4:00 pm Saturday, November 18, 2017 at St. John's Lutheran Church in Barnesville, MN with Rev. Tom Eaves officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. There will be military honors and a meal following the service with a time for sharing special memories of Lou. Burial will be in Mitchell Township (Christ Lutheran) Cemetery, rural Wolverton, MN. Louis was born on July 19, 1932 to Emil and Louise (Lehman) Krueger in Jamestown, ND. He attended grade school in Comstock and middle school in Moorhead until moving with his family to Oregon his freshman year of high school. He graduated from high school in Hillsboro, OR with the class of 1950. Following high school, he enrolled at Oregon State University to study agriculture. Then, as he put it, "the draft was on our tails," so he joined the US Coast Guard via advice from his brother and his cousin, serving from 1951-1954. He served aboard the US Coast Guard Cutter McLane, out of Portland, doing port security. Upon his discharge from the service, he enrolled at Oregon Technical Institute studying diesel mechanics. Following tech school, he worked several jobs including: assemblyman at Boeing; grease monkey at a full service gas station; delivery truck driver/partsman at an implement dealership; and forklift operator at a cannery; even lumberjack "for a day". During his years in Oregon, he and his parents maintained a small hobby farm. He had a lifelong interest in aviation and took flying lessons, even completing a solo flight! In 1962, with his dog Pokey by his side, he traveled back to Minnesota to "dig in the dirt". He raised many different crops, finally settling on corn, soybeans, and spring wheat. In his early days he had sheep, hogs, and beef cattle. Lou met Arlene Fenske in Fargo, ND at the Singleaires club. He sold some lambs to buy a ring for Arlene and on October 23, 1965 they were married at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Wahpeton, ND. They made their home 12 miles south of Barnesville and worked side by side on the farm until they moved to town in 2010. He sold Pioneer Seed for 20 years, was clerk of Manston Township for many years, and was a state director of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association from 1988-1994. Even though he "retired," he was still Kurt's most reliable farm help until his health told him otherwise. He was a simple man who required little to be happy. He thoroughly enjoyed Sunday afternoon football, driving tractor, his grandsons, and any meal prepared by his son-in-law Dave. He was a member of Christ Lutheran Church from the time he moved to the farm until the church closed in 2002. He then became a member of St. John's Lutheran in Barnesville. He was always faithful, trusting "in the Good Lord." Lou and Arlene enjoyed wintering in Mesa, Arizona for 19 winters and made many dear friends. He had a hearty laugh and could visit with anyone. Grateful for sharing Lou's life are his wife Arlene, children: Kurt Krueger and Karla (David) Johnson, and grandsons Zachary David and Gabriel Louis Johnson of Aberdeen, SD, special cousin Chuck Krueger of Ocean Shores, Washington, and several nieces and nephews. Lou is preceded in death by his parents, brother Richard Krueger, and an infant daughter Betsy Ann in 1966. Lou passed away on Saturday, October 14, 2017 at St. Francis Hospital in Breckenridge, Minnesota at the age of 85 years, 2 months, and 25 days. May his memory be blessed. In lieu of flowers, Lou's family suggests memorials to the Alzheimer's Association, Salvation Army, and Humane Society. The family wishes to express their gratitude to all the staff of St. Francis Hospital in Breckenridge for all the care they provided Lou the last several months.