Karen Marie Krueger

Karen Marie Krueger, 65, passed away peacefully on December 8, 2012 at Kavanagh Hospice House alongside her family. There will be a celebration of Karen’s life at 10 a.m. Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in West Des Moines, of which she was an active member. Burial will take place at Resthaven Cemetery in West Des Moines.

Karen was born in Norfolk, NE on June 5, 1947 to Delbert and Ruth Duhachek and was raised in Newman Grove, NE. Eugene and Karen were united in marriage on October 11, 1969 and moved to Columbus, NE. In 1989, the family moved to West Des Moines, IA. Karen was an inspiration to all and leaves a legacy behind that will be remembered for generations. She was a devoted homemaker raising two children. Once her children were in high school, she worked at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church impacting the lives of many. Her life truly revolved around serving others, bringing joy to everyone with her many acts of kindness, and showering her family with unconditional love and support.

She was married to Eugene for 43 years and leaves behind two children, Trisha (Aaron) Sander and Troy (Holly) Krueger as well as five grandchildren, Kaleb and Kylie Sander and Adalyn, Aubrey, and Matthew Krueger, brother, Roger Duhachek, and was preceded into eternal life by her parents, Delbert and Ruth Duhachek.

Visitation will be on Monday, December 10, 2012 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at McLaren’s Funeral Chapel.

My Memories of Mom

By Trisha Sander

We are gathered here today to remember my mom, Karen. She was somebody to everyone who knew her:

A special friend and a caring co-worker

a loving aunt and a terrific sister

a devoted daughter and wonderful grandma

an amazing mom and always a loving wife.

I was truly blessed, not only was Karen my mom she was also my best friend.

All of us here today have stories and memories about how special mom was. It’s impossible to tell them all, however, I would like to share a few that are dear to me and will give you a look at her life.

Obviously, Karen was an amazing mom. Of course Troy and I would say that, she was our mom, but in 1980 it was not just our opinion. At the time we were living in Columbus, Nebraska and the local paper had a contest to honor the best mom in town. With the help of my dad and grandma I nominated mom for the best mom in Columbus. There was a vote of the people and she won, officially the best mom in Columbus.

Mom always did her best and put her whole heart into everything she took on. Every morning she woke us with a kiss. She was always our room mom in school and our team mom for our sports. Everyone loved it because she made the neatest banners and made sure everything was just right. As you all know, with mom everything she did had to be exactly right you might even say perfect. Even if it meant staying up all night making sure every soccer ball and name were positioned perfectly on the team banner or the treat bags were all tied exactly the same. She strived to make everyone else’s life easier; she wanted to make them feel “Taken Care Of.” Mom took care of us all, even planning every detail of today again making our lives easier.

After being diagnosed with cancer mom stopped working at our church. It was difficult for her and the church since she had been there for 22 years. People here know of her eagerness to work hard, listen and help others if she could. My dad has had people tell him how mom listened to their problems and gave them a hug when needed to help them through difficult times. That was just who she was, a caring person trying to make life easier for everyone.

Mom was a great sport and was always ready to try something new. Many years ago, Troy and I convinced Mom and Dad that we needed to go to Colorado for an annual family vacation. After a few days of Ski School we were released to test the mountain on our own. Mom was much more cautious than the rest of us but we kept reassuring her that she could do it. Mom’s famous line was “I’ll just go along with you guys.” As the years went by that “I’ll just go along with you guys” attitude kept the ski patrol busy. They were always helpful asking if she was ok as she walked down many runs carrying her skis and poles in her arms. They were really helpful one time when mom went off a small cliff and planted herself in about four feet of snow. I think her favorite ski vacations were the ones when she had grandchildren. She had more fun watching them in ski school and babysitting them while we conquered the mountain. Again, making sure things were easier for us.

Four years ago we discovered God’s plan was to take mom to heaven earlier than anyone of us would have liked. It is really hard to understand but we have to trust Him. These past years have been filled with making memories for her, but probably more for us. Little things like jumping on trampolines and attending Clubhouse at the Playhouse, traveling to Disney World and taking Disney cruises in the Caribbean and always listening to county music. We are fortunate that God gave us more time than we originally thought to make such lasting memories until we can see her again in heaven.

We love you mom!