John W. Krueger January 30, 1944 - January 7, 2026

John W. Krueger

Pastor John Krueger, 81, entered life eternal on January 7, 2026 in his home in Hughson, CA. Born on January 30, 1944 in Beaverdam, WI, his pastoral ministry and family ties brought him to live in an additional five states.

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, he went on to receive a Master of Divinity from the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod Seminary in St. Louis, MO and a Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Theological University. He spent 36 years in pastoral ministry, first at Faith Lutheran Church, Burney, CA, and then with St. John’s Lutheran Church, Napa, CA. Next the ministry took him to Christ Lutheran Church, Brea, CA and to Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, CA. John retired from Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Tempe, AZ in 2008.

John enjoyed playing the piano and organ and singing – most recently with the Samaritan Village Singers. He also devoted much of his time in retirement to homeless ministry, travel and enjoying his grandchildren.

Above all else, John wanted people to know that Jesus loves them and is the Savior of the world.

John is survived by his wife, Nancy Geiger, of 52 years. They met in St. Louis in 1972 through mutual friends. Other survivors include three children, Nathan Krueger (Kathleen), David Krueger (Dakota) and Miriam Schmidt (Jeff), as well as seven grandchildren and sister Mary Spoerle (Steve).

A celebration of life will be held at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Turlock on January 24 at 11:00am. In lieu of flowers, donations in memoriam of John can be made to Love, Inc of Yakima, where John volunteered, (loveincyakima.org) or Lutheran World Relief (give.lwr.org).