REV. EDGAR A. KRUEGER
EDINBURG — Rev. Edgar A. Krueger, 89, passed away peacefully on Monday, June 22, 2020, at his residence, surrounded by his family
Rev. Krueger was born in Wakarusa, Indiana, on December 27th, 1930, the son of a preacher. He graduated from Elmhurst College and Eden Theological Seminary. After a church ministry for a number of years, he left the pulpit to focus on directly impacting and improving the lives of those who are oppressed and underrepresented in society. In his 60 years of work, the number of lives he touched, each individually, measures in the thousands. He was a missionary to the poverty-stricken in Honduras in the 1950s and 60s; he, along with his wife Ninfa, and alongside Cesar Chavez, organized farmworkers in Texas and California in the 1960s and 70s; he moved his family to Chile in 1975, shortly after Augusto Pinochet rose to power, in order to serve the needs of people living in fear under that bloody dictatorship; and from the late 1970s until a few years before his death, with his car as his office, he did grassroots organizing of factory workers in the maquiladora manufacturing plants on the Mexican side of our nation's border. With workers earning only a few dollars per day for tiresome and often dangerous work, Rev. Krueger made many trips per week across the border to educate them of their rights under Mexican law in an effort to help them achieve better wages and improved, safer working conditions.
Rev. Krueger's efforts have paid off. He has been recognized internationally and included prominently in countless journals, articles, and books, including Cutting For Sign by William Langewiesche, Shadows in the Valley by Frank A. Kostyu, Boom, Bust, Exodus by Chad Broughton, and just this month, Cult of Glory: The Bold and Brutal History of the Texas Rangers by Doug Swanson, among others. Rev. Krueger received numerous awards for his work, including the Texas Civil Rights Project's Henry B. Gonzalez Civil Rights Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award from Cesar Chavez's La Union del Pueblo Entero, among others. Being arrested numerous times for peaceful protests, having his life threatened for rocking the boat, and never saying "no" to someone helpless and in need were all in a day's work for Rev. Krueger. He worked tirelessly seven days a week for people he barely knew, but he also never lost sight of his more localized mission of being a loving and caring son, brother, husband, and father. He will be deeply missed by many, but his legacy will be celebrated for many years to come.
Rev. Krueger is preceded in death by his parents, Meta and Joseph Krueger; siblings Ruth Fischer, Herb Krueger, Selma Banman, and David Krueger; and his daughters Linda Krueger and Roslind Krueger. Rev. Krueger is survived by his wife, Ninfa Ochoa Krueger; sons David Allen Krueger, David E. Krueger, Douglas Krueger (Jocelyn Wulf), John Krueger, and Daniel Krueger (Lauren Krueger); grandchildren Gwendolyn Krueger, Jennifer Krueger, Derek Krueger, Devin Krueger, Wyatt Krueger, and Grace Krueger; and brother Sam Krueger.
Visitation will be held from 3 to 6 pm on Friday, June 26, 2020, at Memorial Funeral Home, 208 E. Canton in Edinburg. Protective face masks will be required, and social distancing will be observed. A memorial service in honor of his life is planned by the family for a later date when large groups can safely gather. Please contact edgar. krueger.legacy@gmail.com to be kept informed of future plans and to send condolences and remembrances about Rev. Krueger.