Obituary of H. Douglas Krueger
Loving husband, amazing father and a grandfather unlike most, H. Douglas Krueger Jr. passed away on Saturday, March 19th in Wisconsin Rapids, WI at the young age of 71.
A man that never followed the road most traveled, mostly because he knew a better way to get there. Doug was known to the ones that loved him most for his quick wit, dry sense of humor, his bigger than life smile, and his unique ability to give directions that would rival any navigation system… to the minute, notable landmarks, best places for a clean bathroom and cheapest gas along any route.
Doug was a proud graduate of Western Michigan University (Go Broncos) and used his education to pursue a career in Plastic Sales. Rather than limit his talent to one company, Doug was a self-employed sales representative for multiple companies selling the products he knew would be most competitive in the market. Doug's entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen, led him to a successful career spanning 44 years.
In a time when most couples met their loves through friends, Doug took a chance to meet his love being set up by both sets of parents. He met Kathleen V. Schill in early 1969 on a dinner date with his parents and Kathleen's parents. Doug quickly broke his rule of no more than three dates with any one woman and found himself head over heels and engaged on Lake Sherwood within months - and at the alter a few months after that.
Doug and Kathleen have two beautiful girls that were the center of his world. Stacy and Jenna were raised in Algonquin, IL but spent many weekends and holidays (never missed a 4th of July) at Lake Sherwood where Doug showed them how to fish, swim, boat and enjoy lake life. And yet, somehow managed to raise the girls to love all things Chicago - except the Bears. Doug made sure to raise his girls "right" being Packer fans. There was no shame putting his girls on the school bus in 1985 in their Packer gear. Doug was always an engaged, supportive and loving father who taught his girls how to be strong and independent. Both girls followed in their Dad's footsteps and graduated from Western Michigan University.
Doug truly took being a grandfather to a whole new level. His four grandchildren spent a lot of time with him at his beloved lake. Their time together included daily boat cruises while listening to a good playlist with the Eagles, Eric Clapton, and Neil Diamond, ATV rides around the lake, fishing off the dock, making s'mores by the campfire and water balloon fights in the yard. Doug was an enthusiastic grandfather outside of Lake Sherwood too. The grandkids' friends all got to know Grandpa Doug as he was a regular on the sports sidelines cheering with his booming loud voice.
Doug is survived by his loving wife of 46 years, Kathleen; children: Stacy (Paul) Charles and Jenna (Bill) Sheehan; grandchildren: Ian Krueger Charles, Sydney Rae Charles, Molly Rose Sheehan and Luella Grace Sheehan; sisters: Karol (Don) Schill and Karen (Mike) Stemen. He was preceded in death by his parents Herbert and Evelyn and his parents-in-law Don and Nip Schill.
Services will be held on Wednesday, March 30, 2016 at Woodland Lutheran Church in the Town of Rome. Visitation is at 10:00 AM, followed by the Service at 11:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations to Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (pancan.org).
