Donald Krueger

Donald "Don" Herman Krueger, age 92 of Alexandria, MN, died on Saturday, July 30, 2016 at Grand Arbor. A memorial service will take place on Friday, August 5, 2016, at 11:00 AM at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Alexandria, MN. A visitation will take place on Thursday, August 4, 2016, from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at the Anderson Funeral Home in Alexandria, MN.

Donald Herman Krueger, age 92, was born May 18, 1924 in Faribault, MN to Herman Arthur and Mary (Braun) Krueger. He was raised in the German community of Morristown, MN, baptized and confirmed in Bethlehem Lutheran Church. His father was a funeral director and owned a furniture store in Morristown. Don had many colorful stories and adventures of helping his father in the family business! His early years revolved around school, work and church. One of his duties was to toll the church bell on Saturday nights at 6pm – the start of the Sabbath and also when there was a death in the church. The bell would be tolled for the age of the deceased. A young Donald rang the bell one evening for a lady who died at the age of 90 years old. He only tolled it 89 times and quickly received many phone calls informing him of his error! From that point on, he counted out matches beforehand and would toll the bell and then move a match to another pile. He never made that mistake again. With age comes wisdom and Don was never shy about sharing life's lessons with others, whether you wanted it or not!

Don graduated from High School in 1942 and started college at St. Olaf in Northfield, MN. World War II soon broke out and he left school to join the Navy in 1943. After training for the Hospital Corps, he was stationed in Attu, Alaska, part of the Aleutian Islands. In 1945, Don was transferred to serve at St. Elizabeth's Hospital for the mentally insane, in Washington, DC. They had 7000 mental patients; 3000 from WWI and 4000 from WWII. Don was assigned to the Dispensary as a Pharmacist's Mate First Class and also ran the Emergency Room. It was here that Don met the love of his life, Winifred. Wini was serving in the US Military as a Navy WAVES (women accepted for volunteer emergency service) in Psychodrama and their work with patients occasionally overlapped. They married when the war ended in 1946 and Donald brought his new southern bride to live in Minnesota. He went back to St. Olaf to continue his education and Wini taught biology labs. After changing his career choice from Mortuary Sciences to Pharmacy, the newlyweds moved to Fargo, ND so Don could attend NDSU. While living in the frigid tundra of North Dakota, Don & Wini had their first daughter, Deborah. Donald received his Pharmacy degree in 1951, moved his new family to Alexandria, MN and started in his lifelong profession as a pharmacist at Rexall Drug. A second bundle of female joy arrived in 1954 when daughter Leslie was born. In 1962, their third daughter, Tracy, came bursting into the world. Surprise! Another girl! Don never seemed to mind that he didn't have any sons and was a proud father to his girls. He taught them the importance of family and instilled in them a good, strong work ethic, a love of learning and the joy of a cool dip in the lake at the end of a long hot day. Although he was known to "preach" a bit, he definitely practiced what he preached and was a positive, respected influence to so many. In 1965, when his partner at the drugstore, Argyll Peterson, passed away, Don bought the store and continued to expand services in the community. Over the years, Don helped the hospitals with their pharmacies on a part-time basis and he took extra courses to become a pharmacy consultant at both Bethany and Knute Nelson nursing homes. In 1982, Don introduced the "Unit Dose System" to Knute Nelson Home. In one of Wini's annual Christmas letters, she said, "Don is one of the fortunate people who truly loves his work!" In 1988, Don sold the drugstore to Thrifty White Drug, worked part-time for Thrifty for 2 years and then fully retired in 1990 after 36 years in pharmacy.
Don was on the First National Bank board of directors for 20 years. He was a past president of the junior chamber of Commerce and senior Chamber of Commerce. For over 60 years, he was a longtime and dedicated member of American Legion Post 87 and a lifetime member of Rotary. He was active on the Alexandria School board for over 10 years. Education was extremely important to him. Don also supported both Douglas County Hospice and Knute Nelson Hospice. These end of life services and the people who provide them, are one of the truest blessings for those on the receiving end.

Don thoroughly enjoyed his retirement years and continued to serve the community in many ways. He was on the board of directors for Central MN Elder Network and a very active volunteer with Elder Network of Alexandria. In 2014, Don and his son-in-law Bob participated in the Honor Flight to Washington DC to see the WWII Memorial. It was one of his last big trips and the experience was a highlight of his later years. He was one of the first residents at Knute Nelson Grand Arbor Senior living and had a wonderful circle of new and old friends there.

Don truly lived life to the fullest, enjoying family, his circle of dear friends and was still making new friends and imparting words of wisdom up until his very last day. He was an amazing father, father-in-law, friend, boss, co-worker, hunter (of birds only!), fisherman, woodcrafter, cane-maker and later in life – the "crock-pot king"! He sought refuge in nature and was known as "The Guide" to those who joined him on his yearly fishing trips to Canada and duck hunting opener. He did not allow his failing health to make his world smaller. He lived each day abundantly, seeing all there was to see, doing all there was to do. As his body grew weaker, his strength came from the Lord and his faith grew deeper. He loved sharing his faith with others and instigating lively chats regarding scripture, as he succeeded in a lifelong goal of reading the Bible from front to back in a year's time. Don found small joys in each and every day – his mind remained sharp, his wit bright and his laughter contagious. He always had a story to share and was always interested in the stories of others. He was loved, respected and our anchor in life.

Don passed away peacefully in his home on Saturday, July 30th, 2016. He was preceded in death by his wife, Winifred, his parents and his brother. He is survived by his daughters, Deborah, Leslie (Bob) and Tracy (Tom), grandchildren Melissa (Chad), Christa (Joe), Molly (Michael), Maggie (Brian), Shannon, Shelby and great-grandchildren Jordyn, Isaac, Will, Josie and Benny. He also embraced his step-grandchildren Mary Kay (Patrick), Joe and step great-grandchildren Vivian and Oliver. We love you a bushel and a peck Daddy! Miss you home Grumpa!

In Lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Elder Network of Alexandria or Knute Nelson Hospice.