Shirley Ilene Kruger, 91

Published 10:05 am Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Shirley Ilene Kruger, 91

Shirley Ilene Kruger, 91, of Cleveland, Georgia, formerly Austin and New Prague, Minnesota, died Saturday morning Oct. 8, 2016, at her home in Cleveland, Georgia.

She was born Nov. 17, 1924 in Austin, Minnesota, the daughter of Olaf and Laura (Dahl) Thomas. She attended school in Austin. Her father died when she was very young and her mother was remarried to Clair Morse, who became a father to Shirley. She married William Hodges in Austin and together they had four children. They were later divorced. On September 11, 1965, Shirley married Kenneth C. Kruger. They spent many years in New Prague, Minnesota, where they managed the Westgate Apartments and she drove a bus for the school district. Kenneth died on February 4, 1998. Shirley enjoyed computer games, dog races and an occasional trip to the casino. After moving to Georgia to be near her daughter, Shirley joined the Helen Presbyterian Church and was involved with the Prayer Bear project.

Shirley is survived by her son, Joseph (Lynda) Hodges of Austin; her daughter, Sheryl Kuth of Cleveland, Georgia; 10 grandchildren; 27 great grandchildren; four great-great-grandchildren and many other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Kenneth in 1998; two sons, Jack and Danny; a brother and a sister.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2016, at Grace Lutheran Church in Austin with Rev. Jeffrey Forbes officiating. Interment will follow the service at Grandview Cemetery in Austin, Minnesota. Visitation will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. at the church on Thursday. Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.worlein.com. Services prearranged and performed by Worlein Funeral Home of Austin.