Gary Lee Krueger

Gary Lee Krueger, age 73, of Willmar, MN, passed away peacefully at home in his sleep, after a difficult and devastating battle with ALS on November 21, 2020.  His funeral will be 11:00 am, Saturday, June 5th at Church of St. Mary in Willmar.  There will be a visitation from 6-8 pm, Friday, June 4th at Harvey Anderson Funeral Home in Willmar and continue one hour prior to the service on Saturday at the church.  Interment will be 11:45 am. Monday, June 7th at Ft. Snelling National Cemetery, Assembly Area #6.  There will also be a Time of Sharing from 2-5 pm, Saturday at Gary and Ann's home, all are welcome.

Gary Krueger, son of Evelyn and Orville Krueger was born on February 23, 1947, in Willmar, Minnesota. He attended school in Willmar where he graduated from high school in 1965. Following high school, Gary attended Willmar Technical Institute completing the Drafting and Design Technology program. Gary later continued his education after military service at WAVTI graduating from the Machine Tool Technology program.    

He voluntarily enlisted in the US Navy, in September 1967, and served as a draftsman. Throughout his service, he served on the USS Estes Flagship, USS Princeton, USS Valley Forge, and USS New Orleans. He received the Vietnam Service Medal and National Defense Service Medal. His military career took him to Hong Kong, Singapore, Honolulu, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Gary was honorably discharged in July of 1971.

On June 5, 1976, Gary was united in marriage to Ann O’Leary at the Church of the Visitation in Danvers, MN. They made their home in Willmar, where they raised their children: Leah, Richard, and Sara. Gary began his career with the municipal utilities in 1975 and retired after 40 years in the Metering Department. After retirement, Gary enjoyed volunteering and working for the YMCA. In addition, Gary and Ann owned multiple apartment duplexes throughout the city of Willmar, selling their last property recently. Gary was a lifetime member of Willmar VFW Post #1639, Willmar American Legion Post #167, IBEW, and DAV. 

Gary was a lifelong MN Vikings fan, enjoyed fishing, and loved late afternoon pontoon rides with his wife, family, and friends. Gary loved learning and expanding his knowledge regarding health, fitness, spirituality, and self improvement. He was known to give a helping hand to anyone that asked and could fix anything. You could catch him often saying how lucky he was and then quickly breaking the mood with a joke and boisterous laugh. Gary lived his life touching many people through his generous smile and detailed story telling, always on the edge of inappropriateness. Being with his grandchildren was especially important to Gary and Ann. Gary loved tickling, teasing, snuggling, and going on “adventures” with them. He spent his last years of his life traveling with his family and enjoying time with his friends and loved ones. Gary brought so much joy and happiness to all situations.

Gary is survived by his wife, Ann; daughter, Leah (Tim) Schreder of Otsego; son, Richard (Alissa) Krueger of Hopkins; daughter, Sara (Stephen) Kelzer of Chanhassen; and loving grandchildren: Isaiah, Edithe, Daphne, Gwendolyn, and Evelyn. He is also survived by his siblings: Val (Phil) McLeod of Phoenixville, PA; Gaylan (Cindy)  Krueger of Willmar, Trish (Steve) Quernemoen of Elbow Lake; and Dayton (Kathy) Krueger of Willmar. In addition, brothers and sisters-in-law Mike (Nancy) O’Leary of Starbuck; Roger Thue of Starbuck; Betty (Roger) Anderson of Camarillo, CA; Don (Beth) O’Leary of Summerfeld, FL; Bill (Kathy) O’Leary of Starbuck; Barb (Mark) Amundson of Ortonville; Karen (Dean) Hippen of Prior Lake; Kevin (Pam) O’Leary of  Rice; Kathy (Jason) Mikulski of Bloomington; and many, many loving nieces and nephews.

Gary was preceded in death by his parents, Orville and Evelyn Krueger, father and mother-in-law, Jim and Winnie O’leary; sister-in-law, Patricia Thue; and nephew, Benjamin Quernemoen.

Gary’s family would like to thank the many people who offered words of encouragement, a helpful hand, and in general, kindness. The family would also like to thank the Minneapolis VA ALS Center for their selfless dedication to Gary and endless problem solving making the final phases of his life more meaningful and comfortable. It is difficult to explain how much his team meant to us in words. In lieu of flowers, memorials to the ALS Association MN, ND, SD Chapter.

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