Jeffrey "Jeff" Richard Krueger

Jeff R. Krueger, age 66, of Otsego passed away on Wednesday, September 25, 2024 at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids.

Jeff was born on March 9, 1958 in Antigo, Wisconsin to parents Harold and Mary (McLaughlin) Krueger.

He was baptized on March 16, 1958 at Saint John’s Catholic Church in Antigo, WI. He received First Communion and was confirmed at St. Therese Catholic Church in Appleton, WI. Jeff was united in marriage to Donna (Schwalbe) Kruger on February 1, 1992 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Jeff was a curious, and creative problem solver. It is often said that necessity is the mother of invention. Jeff saw to it that what he needed was created. In search of the best wildlife photographs, he designed and produced “Better-hide” a photography blind created so the user would be camouflaged and be able to capture the best photos without detecting the animals attention.

He also taught himself computer programming and stared typing code on the old Commodore 64 soon after graduating from high school in Appleton, WI. He was ahead of his time in seeing the potential for the internet in the early 90’s. He talked about buying groceries and shopping prices long before Amazon and Door Dash were a thing. He wrote programs to run simple appliances and track their use as he was always curious as to how much electricity appliances consumed. Now there are many gadgets that do the same thing.

Jeff loved to research and learn about history. He loved Sci-Fi movies and music from Boston, The Eagles, Bob Seger, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. He was known to grow the best chili peppers and tomatoes in the backyard hoop houses.

He knew wood. He was first taught by his father while remodeling their family homes and honed at technical school. He knew how it would react and the best way to make it behave. He had the gift to be able to envision how best to remodel or build a room, house or shed, to make it efficient and pleasing to the eye. Jeff was owner of Krueger Construction in Albuquerque, NM. He had an interior trim crew that worked residential new construction. He transitioned to building custom cabinets and developed jigs and an assembly process that allowed him to produce a house full of cabinets in a few weeks. His Southwest style cabinet doors were popular with custom builders because they were unique and not mass produced. Here in Minnesota, Krueger is a common name, so he decided to name his business Professional Home Repairs, which he operated until June of 2022.  He was often sought out for his expertise on difficult projects. He helped homeowners figure out where and why their problems were happening and the best way to fix it. His attention to detail was appreciated by many.

Ultimately, Jeff’s passion was his family. He, a Wisconsinite, met and married Donna Schwalbe, a Minnesotan, in Albuquerque, NM. Together they had two sons, Justin Harolton, and Ryan Quincy. Jeff was hands on from the start. Teaching, encouraging, disciplining, and worrying as loving fathers do. Nothing much got by him. Whether it was performance suggestions, strategies during sports, fixing cars, or home repair projects, he continued to be their go to guy. He was always available for them, ready with a helping hand, directions and tools.

He was preceded in death by his parents Harold and Mary (McLaughlin) Kruger; grandparents William and Anastasia McLaughlin and John and Lydia Krueger; uncles William, Gerald, Robert, Richard (Betty), Melvin, and Kenneth; and aunts Betty (McLaughlin) Gerhartz, Viola, Bernice, and Gladys Krueger.

Surviving are his beloved wife of 32 years, Donna (Schwalbe) Krueger; sons Justin, and Ryan Krueger; siblings John (Cheryl) Krueger, Lori (Krueger) (Mark) Sigmund, Patricia (Krueger) Franklin, Sue Ingalls (Jay Strauss); Brothers and sisters-in-law Gail (Schwalbe) (Dennis) Trittabaugh, Faye (Schwalbe) (Carl) Rothenberger and Owen Schwalbe (Micki Schmaltz); nieces Belle (Krueger) (John) Lenard, Jesse (fiancé Lucas Kirch), Tess, Anastasia, and Gracie Faith Franklin, Amy (Tony) Isajiw, Jennifer Trittabaugh, Lori (Wolter) (Joe) Hoglund; nephews Vaughn Quinn, Michael Trittabaugh, Roger Wolter (Susan Davis); great-nieces Samantha (Trittabaugh) Zack Riedberger, Courtney Isajiw, Taylor Hoglund; great-nephews Anthony Trittabugh, and Lance Hoglund; great-great-niece Sophia Riedberger; great-great-nephew Christopher Riedberger; and many cousins and friends.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, October 5, 2024 at 11AM with visitation 1 hour prior to service at Dare’s Funeral Home, 805 Main Street NW, Elk River.

Services will be livestreamed, please click on the navy blue button below, that says click here to access video. The passcode is: 531332

A video tribute to Jeff may be viewed at: Jeff's Video Tribute

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