Obituary of Peter William Kruger

Peter “Pete” William Kruger, Jr., age 64, died Friday, October 18, 2019 at St. Peter’s Hospital in Olympia, WA. He transitioned peacefully with his loved ones by his side and one of his favorite songs playing softly in the background. Pete leaves behind his beloved children and grandchildren, daughter, Tori Willis and husband Jeramy; son Tyson Kruger, and grandsons Isaac, Elijah and Jay Willis, all of Shelton, WA. Also surviving Pete are his father Peter Kruger, Sr. (Lillian); sister Kathi Neilsen (Steven), brother Michael Kruger (Sally), sister Michelle Drengson and brother Tully Kruger (Vicki), his partner Teri Goos, along with many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins. Pete was preceded in death by his brothers Eric Kruger and Clinton Kruger, mother Donna DeCoy, step-mother Barbara Kruger and step-father William DeCoy. Born in Olympia, WA, on September 23, 1955 to Peter Kruger, Sr. and Donna (Badgley) Kruger, Pete spent the first several years of his life in Shelton, WA. He was part of the “Capital Hill Gang” with the Medcalfs and Armstrongs during that time. After his parents divorced, Pete moved with his Mom to Aberdeen, WA where he made many lifelong friends and graduated from Weatherwax High School in 1973. He then moved back to Shelton and went to work for his Dad at OK Roofers. Pete lived in Shelton the remainder of his life. In June, 1980 Pete married Patrice (Tricey) Bieniek of Shelton, WA, and just over a year later, they started their family. Tori and Tyson were the center of their lives. There were many memorable family vacations to Disneyland, Sun Lakes, snow skiing trips, as well as weekends spent boating, and of course, at the ballpark. Pete had a very strong work ethic. He spent many years as a roofer, and eventually took over the family business. He was a member (now an elder) of the Squaxin Island Tribe and commercially fished and harvested geoduck for decades. Many of you will recognize the term “jumper at the rock” from those fishing days. Pete eventually retired from a long career in roofing, and went to work for Skookum Creek Tobacco, Co. where he worked until February 2018, when a serious back injury forced him to retire. As an adult, being on the water was a big part of Pete’s life. He was also an avid fan of the UW Huskies, Seahawks, Mariners, and back in the day, the Seattle Sonics. He could recite crazy sports statistics. Pete played softball for years and made many good memories with a great deal of good people during those times. He also liked cars, nice cars, which were always kept clean and shiny. Music was also a big part of Pete’s life, and he liked to play it (loudly), on high end stereos he had in those cars. He could play the air guitar and lip sync like no other. Aside from spending time with the family, the greatest source of gratification for Pete came from coaching youth sports. From T-Ball, to youth basketball, to baseball, to fast pitch, he spent many, many years on the sidelines, coaching kids. He especially loved coaching Tori in fast pitch. The two of them would sometimes disagree about a signal he was giving from the third baseline, and the interaction was fun to watch from the bleachers. Always sporting a hat and a new pair of Nike Cortez shoes, Pete will be remembered for his big heart, selflessness, generosity, his quick wit and contagious smile, for how hard he worked as well has how hard he played. For his commitment to his family and friends. He was well loved and will be sorely missed. A celebration of life will be held at Noon on Saturday October 26, 2019 at The Pavilion at Sentry Park, 190 W Sentry Drive, Shelton. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to a local youth sports organization in Pete’s name.