In memory of Russell Kroeger

Russell & Myra (Faber) Kroeger February 7, 1950

Mass of the Christian Burial 10:30 a.m., Monday St. Joseph Catholic Church Wall Lake, Iowa
Visitation 2:00-5:00 p.m., Sunday March 8, 2020 St. Joseph Catholic Church Wall Lake
Vigil Service 5:00 p.m.
Concelebrants Father Joe Dillinger, Deacon Butch Stone
Music "Blest Be The Lord""Amazing Grace" "Fill My Cup Lord" "Be Not Afraid"
Julie Steinkamp & Tom Geake, Cantors
Sue Barney, Organist
Lector David Shelton & Brent Snodgrass
Extraordinary Ministers Angela &Jacob Gillen
Gift Bearers Lisa Hall & Mikayla Rohde
Casketbearers Jon Snodgrass, David Shelton, Ryan Snodgrass, Kevin Kroeger, Brent Snodgrass, Eric Kroeger, Jason Hall, Jacob Gillen, Mike Hoppenthaler
Final Resting Place Wall Lake Cemetery, Wall Lake
Farber & Otteman Funeral Home & Cremation Center, Wall Lake, Iowa
www.farberotteman.com

Russell Warren Kroeger, 94, of Wall Lake, Iowa, died peacefully on March 6, 2020, with his family by his side. Russ was a resident of Wall Lake and Lake View. Russ was born on August 26, 1925, in Manning, Iowa, to Otto and Ella (Gosch) Kroeger. Russ was 7 years old when Ella died and he and his sister Dorine were raised with the help of his grandmother Minnie Biehl and later his Step-mom, Rose (Brandt) Kroeger. He attended Washington No. 3 Country School in Carroll County, and graduated from Vail High School in 1943. As a junior and senior, he lived and worked on a farm outside of town riding a horse to school. At an early age he took an interest in music and dancing, as his high school yearbook stated he may become a famous dancer on Broadway, like Fred Astaire.

On February 7, 1950, Russ married Myra Elizabeth Faber of Wall Lake, where together they raised their four children on farms in Arcadia, Early and Lake View, Iowa. Dancing with his lifelong partner Myra was at the top of his loves and they traveled all over Northwest Iowa to enjoy friends and great dance bands. He loved farming, selling seed corn, bulls, and visiting with area farmers. Working with animals and his registered Angus herd were his pride and joy.

He was elected to serve as a Supervisor for Sac County for 16 years and he particularly enjoyed working on mental health, housing and road issues. Russ served on the Agriculture Stabilization & Conservation Service for 7 years, was a Trustee for Clinton Township, a member of the Farm Bureau Board and the Denison Angus Association. Russell was an active member of St. Joseph's and Lions Club. You'd often find him playing cards, bowling, golfing, throwing horseshoes or watching and attending sports events. As a lifelong and loyal Cubs fan, winning the World Series in 2016 was his ultimate thrill!

Survivors include his four children, Sue and Mike Snodgrass of Naples , Florida; Joyce and Brad Shelton of Naperville, Illinois; Keith and Deanna (Simon) Kroeger and Carol and Derek Rohde of Lake View, Iowa; nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, Jon and Stephanie Snodgrass (Elliana), Ryan Snodgrass and Lana Tran (Isla), Brent and Sarah Snodgrass, Lisa Shelton Hall and Jason (Adalyn, Sam and Logan), David and Lindsey Shelton (Ella and Henry), Kevin and Eric Kroeger, Angela Rohde Gillen and Jake (Clara and Gabrielle), Mikayla Rohde and fiancé, Mike Hoppenthaler, also his brother-in-law Gary and Sharon (Ludwig) Faber.

Russell was preceded by his wife of 64 years Myra Elizabeth Faber; his parents, Otto and Ella (Gosch) Kroeger, stepmother Rose (Brandt) Kroeger, his sister Dorine and husband Charlie Taranowicz, his brother-in-law, Mervin Faber (Myra's twin) and his in-laws, Tony and Mary (Steinkamp) Faber.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Russ Kroeger Memorial Fund.
% Carol Rohde, 3371 Otter Avenue, Lake View, Iowa 51450

In February of 2019, Joyce Shelton e-mailed me after she was referred to me by Connie Petersen on Ancestry.com.
I'm so glad Joyce reached out to me and then agreed to bring me her old pictures and documents to scan, many of which have a lot of Manning area connections.
In turn I was able to help her with some pictures and information about her family tree, so we both benefited from sharing.

Then in June of 2019, Joyce brought Russell to Manning, so I met them at Cliff's Place where we visited about Manning and Russ' country school.

Below are various pictures of close and extended Kroeger family history.

If anyone has more/different information and pictures that connect to the Manning area - please let me know.


Ella Gosch & Otto Kroeger


Otto Kroeger WWI


Ella Kroeger


Ella Kroeger


Dorine & Russell Kroeger


Unknown family and farm home - possibly connected to the Kroeger side


Ernest, Otto, Herbert Kroeger


Gustav & Alvine (Martens) Kroeger


Fred & Bertha (Steinhauer) Kroeger
Back: Margaretha "Maggie" Erdman, Henry Kroeger
Gustav & Alvine (Martens) Kroeger - parents of Fred & Henry
Maggie married Henry


1936 - Kroeger in Hamburg, Germany


Inez, Gilbert, Orville Kroeger

Henry Kroeger - father of Orville "Big O"


Virgene (Kruse) & Orville Kroeger December 1986

Virgene (Kruse) Kroeger - her beauty shop in Westside


Dorine (Kroeger) Taranowicz


Ella Gosch


Ella Gosch & Lena Oeser - step-sisters


Ella Gosch


Hans Gosch


Otto Gosch & Ella Gosch


Back: Emil Gosch, Otto Kroeger
Front: Mamie Gosch, Ella Kroeger
Ella and Otto Kroeger's wedding


Minnie (Ohrt) Gosch-Biehl, Hans Ohrt, Catherine (Ohrt) Fonken
Minnie Biehl was known to everyone in the Manning neighborhood as "Grandma" Biehl


Minnie (Ohrt) Gosch-Biehl & Henry Biehl


Standing: Otto, Ella
Seated: Emil, Jack
Children of Hans Gosch & Wilhelmina Ohrt
Hans buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery in Douglas, Nebraska
Wilhelmina buried in Hayes Township Cemetery, Crawford County
3 other children died in infancy


John Timothy Ohrt

MINNIE BIEHL died May 11, 1958.
Wilhelmina known as Minnie was born to Timothy Ohrt in Germany on September 1, 1867. She came to the U.S. at the age of 12 with her family settling near Westside. She moved to Omaha at the age of 17 where she married Hans Gosch on December 18, 1891.
They had seven children. In 1909, she came back to Manning and married Henry Biehl. They moved to 7 1/2 miles north of Manning until 1920 when then they moved to Manning. Her children Jack, Emil, Ella, Otto and three who died in infancy. She had two brothers: John and Hans and one sister, Mrs. Catherine Fonken.

Back: Henry Ohrt, Hans Ohrt
Front: Al Fonken, Katherine (Frahm) Ohrt, John Ohrt, K/Catherine (Ohrt) Fonken, Albert Fonken, Dora (Doris?sp) Ohrt
Missing: Minnie Gosch from Omaha


Washington No. 3 country school
Page 62 of the Manning Schools history book

Back: Verna Kroeger, Lyle Rowedder, Russell Kroeger, Arlene Brockmann, Lois Brockmann
Middle: ??, Virgene Kruse, Roland Joens, Merlin Brockmann, ?Vetter?
Front: Ken Petersen, Duane Vetter

Mildred Kaspersen was Virgene Kruse's teacher

Russell Kroeger memories:
He thought this was the order by age - Arlene, Lois, Merlin, Lyle, and Opal Brockmann
Eva Kraft and Lyle Joens were also in school with Russ


Joyce had this document in her collection but is not sure why - it is a great historical item to have scanned.

Joyce no longer wanted this document, so I have it stored in one of my plastic totes for safe keeping until we get a Manning Museum someday.

I don't have any Mayberry obituaries but assume that Scotty is somehow related to the Mayberrys listed in the document above. Scotty would be an uncle to Earl Barsby.
Here are some pictures of Scotty and his connection to the Doud Milling Company and Manning Mill, which later became the Manning Ag Center.


Scotty Mayberry - employee passenger on Manning Mill truck.
He made pancakes from the "Fidelity Pancake Company" flour made in the Doud and Manning Mill.


Scotty Mayberry standing down in front of the Doud Milling Company.


2000 Orland Fara walking in front of the Manning Ag Center
The brick part of the building is the original Doud Milling building...sadly it was torn down in 2016.
In 2015 I took pictures of the inside of that structure in anticipation that it would probably be razed.

As I usually do, I will again ask anyone who has old Manning historical documents and pictures to please contact me so I can get your things to scan and add to the Manning Historical Digital Preservation Database.
Thanks,
Dave

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