Emma Nita Kruger

Emma Nita Kruger, 90, of Talent, Oregon, died peacefully on Wednesday, March 15, 2023. A memorial service will be held at 2 PM on Friday, March 31, at Talent Friends Church, 50 Talent Avenue, Talent, OR 97540.

Emma was the sixth (and youngest) child born to Frank Bortolazzo and Rosa Silvestri in Weed, California, on October 10, 1932, and grew up between the family's dairy operation there and her parents’ home on a ranch in Grenada. She finished eighth grade at the little school in Grenada, where she played the trumpet and went out for the football team. The next year, Emma transferred to Yreka High School where she was the first in her family to earn a high school diploma. On December 15, 1951, Emma married Frank Ellis Roy in front of a justice of the peace in Weed, California, before making a home with him in Talent, Oregon.

In their first year of marriage, Frank was paralyzed in a logging accident, and Emma, pregnant, vowed to care for him at their home. Their daughter and only child, LaVern Ellis Roy Muhr, was born in April 1953, and for the next ten years, Emma served as mother, wife, and caretaker. Frank died two weeks before their twelfth anniversary. Five years later, after getting him to join her church, Emma married Owen Ellsworth “Ike” Kruger at Talent Friends Church in Talent, July 20, 1968.

Emma loved her family and friends, taking regular fishing, deer hunting, and camping trips as well as an annual vacation with Ike to the Oregon Fire Chiefs Association annual conference. Emma and a small but dynamic group of friends met every week for Bible study and lunch at McDonalds, and until Emma was no longer able, she and her friends also took part in twice-weekly workout sessions at a local gym. For her entire adult life, Emma always took a nap after lunch to maintain her beauty, and she was still making the claim, on her ninetieth birthday, that she’d never had a gray hair in her life. She played cards or dominoes to keep her brain sharp, went for long walks, and she loved to teach every single one of her small dogs (mostly rescues) how to knock on the door, wipe off their feet, and yawn when it was time for bed.

With membership currently at Talent Friends Church, Emma served for many years as a Sunday school teacher and was known for her warm welcome, easy laughter, and strong singing. She was proud of having been awarded Chief Praise & Glory Giver.

Emma is preceded in death by her parents, three brothers, two sisters, her husbands, Frank and Ike, and her daughter, LaVern.

Emma is survived by her five grandchildren—Eric Muhr, Portland; Adam and Rhonda Muhr, Camas, Washington; Christina Muhr, Talent; Donald Muhr, Talent; and Bethany Muhr, Salem—and her four great grandchildren.

Memorial gifts can be made in Emma's name to Talent Friends Church, PO Box 551, Talent, OR 97540-0551.