Obituary for Mark D. Kruger

Mark was born in La Crosse on December 7th, 1951 to Robert and Colleen (Golding) Kruger. The family moved to Stoddard when Mark was 2 1/2. They lived in a beautiful old home right along the Mississippi River. Mark thoroughly enjoyed his life in Stoddard, where he had many outdoor adventures. He lived the rest of his life there, where he was a charter member of the JayCees and was a member of the Stoddard Bergen Volunteer Fire Department for 20 years.

Mark attended Stoddard Elementary School and was a 1970 graduate of DeSoto High School. He attended La Crosse State College (now UW-L), where he met Jane Halverson, who he married in 1972. They had 2 children, Sara Ann and Seth Robert. Their house was made into a true home by virtue of Mark’s woodworking talents.

Mark worked at Machine Products Co., (MAPCO), from 1972 until it closed in 1994. He then worked at Multistack in West Salem until he was hired at Trane Company. He worked as a Tool and Die Maker/Machinist at Trane until Parkinson’s Disease accelerated his retirement in 2014. He made many friends over his working years and remained in contact. He especially enjoyed monthly MAPCO breakfasts.

In retirement, Mark enjoyed many hobbies: gardening, woodworking, collecting antique car parts, working on collector cars, the annual Kruger Boys Trout Fishing weekend, and spending time talking with birds (he could call to both cardinals and orioles) and feeding squirrels by hand.

Mark was preceded in death by his parents, a sister, Maureen Steinke, sisters-in-law Julene Schwanbeck and Joan Halverson, brothers-in-law Joel Halverson, Don Schwanbeck, and Ross Halverson, and a very special niece Alison Steinke.

Mark is survived by his wife, Jane, daughter Sara (Brian) Kessler and granddaughters Emma and Lily, and Seth (Deanna) Kruger and grandsons Wyatt and August and his cat, Suzy Q, a.k.a P.I.T.A. He is also survived by his brother Brian (Leanne) and his sister Pat. He is further survived by in-laws Karl (Cheryl) Halverson, Mark (Nancy) Halverson, Janet (Gary) Berra, Daryl Steinke and many nieces and nephews.

He will certainly be missed by all who knew him, in particular his many, many friends.

The family wants to thank the caring staff at BSJ and Gundersen Hospital, long-time family doctor and friend Dr. Kim Lansing, neurologist Rachel Biemiller, and the rest of his care team at Gundersen. Special thanks also to Chief Brian Lehmann and the rest of the Stoddard Bergen FD First Responder crew for their assistance on Mark’s last day at home.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, May 4, 2024, at Fredrickson Funeral Homes and Crematory, Woodruff Chapel, 4239 Mormon Coulee Road, La Crosse, WI, 54601. Pastor Phil Waselik will officiate. A visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. until the time of service at the funeral home.

Please dress casually; jeans, t-shirts, flannels, and sandals would be great. Mark was color-blind in shades of green. With his unique sense of humor, he would have gotten a laugh “seeing” people show up in green.

Thank you for making us laugh, Mark.

Gone, but never forgotten; forever loved.

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