Richard Alois Krueger

Richard Alois Krueger was a carpenter, longtime Cold Spring Granite employee, and devoted member of St. Boniface Catholic Church in Cold Spring, Minnesota. He was not a public figure in the national sense, but within his central Minnesota community he was known for his steady, hands-on contributions over nearly six decades, including the three homes he built with his wife and his 43 years of work at the granite company that shaped the town's industry and identity.

He was born on August 17, 1942, in Cold Spring, to George and Veronica (Lardy) Krueger, and grew up on a small family farm where, according to his obituary, he learned the values of hard work and dedication from his parents. He never trained formally as a builder but taught himself carpentry, and he and his wife Suzetta used those skills to build three homes in the Cold Spring community over the course of their marriage. He spent 43 years working at Cold Spring Granite, known today as Coldspring, one of the area's major employers and a name closely tied to the town itself.

Richard married Suzetta Dockendorf on June 29, 1965, at the Church of St. Anthony in Watkins, Minnesota, and the couple raised four children together. Beyond his work and his building projects, he was known for an easy sociability, people who knew him said he loved to visit with anyone he encountered, and for the time he gave to his community: he was a member of St. Boniface Catholic Church, a regular donor to the American Red Cross, a volunteer with Meals on Wheels, and a member of the Assumption Community Board. In retirement he filled his days with family, travel, woodworking, reading, and ongoing projects around the house, and he especially enjoyed playing games with his grandchildren.

Richard Alois Krueger died unexpectedly at his home in Cold Spring on September 28, 2026, at the age of 84. No cause of death has been made public. A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Cold Spring, with entombment in the St. Boniface Parish Cemetery, and visitation was held the evening before at Wenner Funeral Home and the morning of the service in the church narthex.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Suzetta, his parents, his brother Donald, a daughter-in-law, and an infant set of twin grandchildren. He is survived by his children Duane (Jessica), Deborah (Mathew) Rothstein, Deanna (Patrick) McDonald, and Dean (Kristen); by grandchildren Sydney, Brock, and Brynn Rothstein, Liam and Aurora McDonald, and Logan, Zoey, Austin, and Hudson Krueger; by his siblings Eileen Hansen and Sylvester Krueger; and by his sister-in-law Phyllis Krueger.