Russell Bernard Krueger

At the age of 75, Russell Bernard Krueger passed away on May 22, 2022 in Tucson, Arizona.  Russell was born to Henry W. and Bernice (Haas) Krueger on June 27, 1946 in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.  He graduated from Beaver Dam High School in 1964.  The next two years he attending Wartburg College, in Waverly, Iowa.  The summer after his second year, he and his sister Kay went on tour for five weeks seeing 12 countries in Europe with Wartburg students and alumni.  This stirred Russ interested in more travel.  Suffering with many sinus infections, Russ’s doctor suggested moving to a drier climate like Arizona.  He went to Pima Community College in Tucson, AZ to learn computer programing.

His first computer job was with Tucson Public School.  He developed a program to notify parents when their students were truant.  He left after 17 months.  Next, he worked for Tucson Gas and Electric Company for 26 years earning the title of Supervisor of Technical Services.  When IBM opened an operation in Tucson, Russell spent his next 14 years working for them in the Storage Product Development Test Lab testing large main frame computers.  He was part of a group who earned a patent on a storage program.  He retired from IBM in 2014 after 14 years of service.  While working, he took many courses to increase his computer knowledge and management skills.

Russell took a lot of interest in learning our family history going back to our roots in Germany.  He gathered much information on both sides of our family.  His interest in travel, led him to tour all over North America, Hawaii, Egypt and Milan, Italy.  He took many pictures of all of the sights on his travels.  His favorites, he enlarged and hung on the walls of his new house built in 2003 on E Belasco Loop.  He became the first president of the Serenata Home Owners Association serving in that position many years.

Russ prided himself in taking care his health and getting plenty of exercise.  It was a great shock to him to find out at the end of March that he had untreatable cancer of the pancreas, liver and duct.  They set up hospice for him right away.  He called his sister Kay asking her to come to Tucson to help him.

Russ is survived by his sisters Carolyn Jean Johnson (Bob) of Stillwater, MN and Kay Keske of Franklin, WI.  He is also survived by his nephews Eric Johnson (Kristi) of Appleton, WI; Paul R. Keske (Jennifer) of Hartford, WI; Daniel Keske of Franklin, WI and niece Kristin (Pat) Hoel of Hudson, WI.  In addition, he is survived by his cousins Loraine Larson, Dean Haas, Gary Haas, David Haas, Bill Haas, Debra Van Est, Lucinda Slattery and Naomi Wilpzius.  He is further survived by many grandnieces and grandnephews.   He was preceded in death by his parents Henry W. and Bernice Krueger, brother-in-law Paul G. Keske; aunts and uncles, Duane and Penny Haas, Bernard Haas, Myrtle Foster, Dorothy and Elmer Luckow; and cousins, Robert Luckow, Roger Luckow and Dan Haas.

Russell’s funeral will be held First Evangelical Lutheran Church on Center Street, in Beaver Dam, WI.  The service will begin at 11:00 AM on July 21, 2022.  Koepsell-Murray Funeral Home is helping with the arrangements.