Vilas Henry Krueger was welcomed into the arms of Jesus to start eternal life in his new heavenly home on December 13, 2022.
Just as spring was turning to summer, Vilas was born on June 3, 1926 at his parents’ home on their dairy farm just outside Clintonville, Wisconsin. He was Alvin and Selma (Schroeder) Krueger’s middle child, growing up with older siblings Arlo and Verna, and younger siblings Joyce and Gerald.
Vilas grew up at St Martin Lutheran Church in Clintonville, where he was baptized, attended day school, and was confirmed. He graduated from Clintonville High School in the class of 1944, and began working at the Four Wheel Drive Auto Co. Vilas loved adventure, learning to fly airplanes while still in his teens on the farm and continuing with this passion throughout his life, earning the FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award after 50 years of safe flying. Vilas loved anything he could drive and tinker with, including motorcycles, cars, boats, snowmobiles, ATVs, the list goes on, really anything mechanical he could ride on. He also loved the outdoors, especially bow hunting, fishing, downhill skiing, and walking in the woods.
Vilas was drafted into the US Army in January 1949, and while stationed at Fort Lewis in Tacoma, Washington, met and fell in love with Donna Erickson. After Vilas was offered a discharge into the WI Army Reserve, he asked Donna to marry him and move to Wisconsin, and she said yes to both. Vilas and Donna were married on March 11, 1950 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Coeur d’ Alene Idaho. They drove back to Clintonville and began their married life with Vilas working at the US Post Office in Clintonville as a rural carrier, later but soon after starting a lifelong career with Aid Association for Lutherans (Thrivent), where he earned many sales awards and retired in 1988 after 36 years.
Vilas and Donna have four children: Paul (Barb) Krueger, Phil (Mary) Krueger, Mary (Rick) Schultz, and Mark (Jo Ann Koga) Krueger. Nine grandchildren: Eric (Amber) Krueger, Jessica Krueger, Jenni (Alex) Kruener, Matt (Sara Menefee) Krueger, Samantha Krueger, Amanda Zudonyi, Nathan (Jennifer) Schultz, Laura (Jacob) Nance, Arisa Sky Koga Krueger. Three great-grandchildren: Mason Rowley, Emerson Krueger, and June Krueger. Vilas loved sharing his adventures with his children and grandchildren on many family vacations, camping trips, and downhill ski trips.
Vilas’ greatest joy was to be in the Lord’s house serving Him, volunteering tirelessly at St. Martin Lutheran Church. Vilas and Donna shared their love of God by taking many of the grandchildren on trips to Red Lake, Ontario to help with Vacation Bible School.
After retirement, Vilas and Donna enjoyed traveling, both out of the country and around the US in their mini-motorhome, finally settling and buying a winter home on Lake Rosalie in Lake Wales FL, while enjoying summers in beautiful Wisconsin at their home on the Cloverleaf Lakes near Clintonville. In 2017, after a hip fracture, Vilas and Donna moved to the Appleton Retirement Community in Appleton WI, where Vilas was able to live out his life in a caring community environment.
The family would especially like to thank the staff at Appleton Retirement Community and Dr. Alice Boshoven and the staff at Mosaic Family Health in Appleton for the wonderful care they gave Vilas.
A family celebration of the earthly and eternal life of Vilas Krueger will be held privately. The family is forever grateful for all the support provided at Donna’s funeral and at the end of Vilas’ life. If you would like, memorials in Vilas’ name may be given to St. Martin Lutheran Church, 100 S Clinton Ave, Clintonville WI 54929.
The Eberhardt-Stevenson Funeral Home & Crematory, Clintonville is assisting the Krueger family. An online guestbook is available at eberhardtstevenson.com.