Nelda Rubylene Krueger

NELDA RUBYLENE GOERDEL KRUEGER

January 29, 1937 – April 3, 2023

Nelda Rubylene Goerdel Krueger of Elgin, Texas fell asleep in Jesus and entered eternal life with God the Holy Trinity on April 3, 2023. She was born on January 29, 1937 on the family farm at Indian Gap in Hamilton County, Texas to parents Bruno Goerdel and Alwine Nauert Goerdel. She was reborn into God’s Kingdom through Holy Baptism on March 21, 1937 and confirmed her Christian Faith on October 29, 1950 at Zion Lutheran Church in Priddy, Texas. Philippians 1:2 was her Confirmation verse: “Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” Nelda attended grade school at Indian Gap, Texas and graduated from Pottsville High School as Salutatorian in 1954. She attended Draughon’s Business College in Dallas and then worked in downtown Dallas for Southwestern Life Insurance Company.

On February 26, 1955, Nelda was joined in Holy Matrimony to her childhood sweetheart, Kenneth Wayne Krueger, at Zion Lutheran Church in Priddy. They made their home in Dallas until October 1956, when they moved to Grand Prairie to raise their family. In 1989, they retired and built a beautiful home in the country outside Athens. They lived there until March 2000. They were in the process of moving to Thorndale when Kenneth suddenly passed away on March 31, 2000. Nelda then lived with her son, Allan Krueger, in Elgin. At the time of her death, she resided with her daughter and son-in-law, Melinda and Craig Miller, in Elgin.

While her children were still living at home, Nelda was very active in Girl Scouts for 30 years. She was a Religious/Scout Counselor for the Lutheran God and Family Award through the Lutheran Church and Boy and Girl Scouts, helping 13 youth earn the award. In her churches, she was a Sunday School and VBS teacher, choir member, Altar Guild member, and LWML member and officeholder. She was a voting delegate from St. John Lutheran Church in Athens to the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod Texas District Convention in Galveston and was a life member of the East Texas Medical Center Auxiliary in Athens. From 2001 until her death, she was a member of Grace Lutheran Church in Elgin, where she had been an LWML member and helped with VBS.

Nelda loved God, Family and her Country. She enjoyed volunteering, music, canning, jelly making, cooking, reading, and sports, especially the Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers, and any and all sports her grandchildren were playing!

Nelda was preceded in death by her husband of 45 years, Kenneth Wayne Krueger; her son, Steven Wayne Krueger and his wife Therese Ann Kettelhut Krueger; her daughter, Karen Lynn Krueger Lawler; her parents, Bruno and Alwine Nauert Goerdel; her sister, Margaret Lucille Goerdel Giles; her father- and mother-in-law, Carl and Ida Witte Krueger; her sisters-in-law, Carolyn Krueger Montgomery and Becky Krueger Partin; and her brother-in-law, Dale Montgomery.

Nelda is survived by three children: Allan Krueger and wife Marie of Austin, Kathleen Dube and husband Jed of McDade, and Melinda Miller and husband Craig of Elgin; 20 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren; brothers-in-law, Lowell Giles of Athens and Jessie Partin of Bangs; and numerous nephews, nieces, great-nephews, great-nieces, and cousins.

Nelda’s family will receive visitors at Providence-Jones Funeral Home in Elgin on Friday, April 7 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Her funeral will be held at Grace Lutheran Church in Elgin on Saturday, April 8, at 10:00 a.m. with a light luncheon following. She will be buried at Immanuel Lutheran Church Cemetery in Pottsville, Texas on April 15 at 11:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be directed to Upbring, PO Box 140767, Austin, Texas or to Grace Lutheran Church, 801 W. 11 ^th Street, Elgin, Texas 78621.