Gary Krueger

Gary Krueger, age 85, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, April 19, 2022.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, April 25, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Francis Catholic Church, Brainerd. Family and friends are invited to gather for one hour prior to the service. Interment will be held later at Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery in Little Falls.

Gary was born in Brainerd to George and Dorothea (Kjera) Krueger on October 27, 1936. He was joined in marriage to Carolin Zak at Bulldog Lake on September 3, 1960. Together, they raised three children and cherished over 61 years together. Following high school in 1955 he enlisted in the United States Navy and served four years on the TWA Patrol Craft Escorts, the USS Worland, and the USS Ely. After his discharge, he returned to Brainerd. He was employed in the 1960’s as an advertising representative of the Brainerd Dispatch. He later worked as a representative for several dental equipment companies, covering territories in the Midwest, and then as an instructor at the technical college in Wadena, retiring in 1995. In 2000, he returned to work part-time driving a school bus and retired again in 2005.

Gary’s favorite memory was growing up in NE Brainerd in the 1940’s and spending summers fishing the Mississippi with his favorite 16-foot cane pole. He was an avid reader of fiction and history. He also was enamored with long distance bicycling and rode the back roads of MN and surrounding states well into his 60’s. Gary was a die-hard Viking’s fan who annually could be heard muttering… “wait ‘til next year.”

Gary is survived by his wife, Carolin Krueger; three children, Jeffrey (Susan McCammon) Krueger, Aric Krueger, and Lori (Edward) Watzl; grandchildren, Derek (Melissa) Blackburn, Teryn (Jared Klungseth) Blackburn, and Alexandra (Tanner Evenson) Watzl; great-grandchildren; Kiley, Lydia, Jaxson, Kenzie, Brielle, Nash, and Logan; his brother, Darrell (Deb Blake-Krueger) Krueger; and many other family members and friends. He is preceded in death by his parents; sister, Phyllis Zander; and baby brother, Warren Krueger.

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