Helmer J. Kruger Obituary

Helmer Junior Kruger of Westminster, Colorado passed away on December 16, 2021 at the age of 86 as a result of his long struggle with Alzheimer's.

Helmer was born in Ashton, Iowa to parents, Helmer and Lydia Kruger, where he lived with his three siblings on a farm. His mother died in 1939 when Helmer was four years old. Seven years later in 1946, his dad married Lena Mae Johnson. Their union was blessed with four daughters.

Living with several different aunts and uncles in his early years, Helmer attended schools in the Ashton, Iowa area. In June 1954 he enlisted in the United States Army and served in Germany as a track vehicle mechanic until the end of his enlistment in June 1956.

In 1959, Helmer married Joyce Schemmel of Granville, Iowa to whom he happily and faithfully remained married for 61 years. In the early years, they moved frequently to various towns in Iowa, Nebraska and Colorado searching for a permanent place to settle. During that journey, five sons were born and their family life was forever marked with fun and excitement, sometimes complete chaos, as well as moments of sheer surprise and joy, sprinkled with rare times of peace and quiet!

Through the years, Helmer worked as a mechanic in various small garages, auto dealerships and large fleet companies. His greatest pride and joy was serving as Fleet Manager at the Denver Coca-Cola Bottling Company. Later he also accepted the position of Fleet Manager at the Memphis Coca-Cola Bottling Company for two years and one year at the Ouachita Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Monroe, Louisiana.

After retirement Helmer built a beautiful family cabin in the Rocky Mountains. It will be his everlasting legacy, his gift to his children and his grandchildren. Helmer believed that one should not spend time or money doing leisure activities or hobbies; it was best to work, and then continue to work some more.

Helmer spent many Thursdays and Fridays searching for estate sales to attend. He didn't spend much money on buying items, but rather spent his time making new friends to talk with and "chew the fat". Whether you were eight years old or eighty years old, he loved to visit and tell stories.

Helmer is survived by his devoted wife, Joyce, and their five sons, Larry married to DeeDee, Kevin married to Julia, Bill married to Lavon, Kelly married to Jennifer, and his youngest son, Karl. Helmer enjoyed playing with his ten grandchildren, Jacquelyn, Jacob, Joe, Joyce Marjee, Katy, LJ, Kelsey, Sammy, Kara and Megan; those opportunities were a huge highlight of Helmer's life. When Kelly married Jennifer, our family grew to include two more grandchildren, Jessica and Jordan, which now includes their children (great grandchildren to Helmer) Jack and Elsie, Gabriel and Addison. Helmer also enjoyed visiting with his many nieces and nephews, cousins and friends.

Helmer is survived by his sisters, Marlys (Chuck Baringer) Osburn, of Las Vegas NV, Virginia (husband Burdell) Meinerts of Little Rock, Iowa, Beatrice Moore of Las Vegas, NV, Delores (Lloyd) Krull of George, Iowa.

Helmer was preceded in death by his grandparents, Helmer G. and Janna Kruger, parents, Helmer H. and Lydia Kruger, Lena Kruger (second wife), sister Thelma Jane Hatting, brothers Eugene (Bob) Kruger, and younger brother Lyle Dean Kruger.

Funeral Mass for Helmer will be held on Friday, January 7, 2022 at 11:00 am at Spirit of Christ Catholic Community, 7400 West 80th Avenue, Arvada, CO. The Mass will be live streamed on the church's YouTube channel which can be found at the following link: https://youtu.be

Please join the family immediately following the Funeral Mass at Spirit of Christ for a luncheon reception and an opportunity to share stories about Helmer. Interment will be at Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery after the luncheon. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Helmer's honor to Compassionate Hospice Care at 11935 Quay Street, Broomfield, CO 80020 or the Alzheimer's Association Colorado Chapter, P.O. Box 61469, Denver, CO 80206 or http://www.alz.org.