Larry Stephen Krueger

Larry Stephen Krueger, 77, of Randle passed away on Monday July 8, 2024.

Larry was born on May 30, 1947, to Paul Krueger and Alma (Bernice) Stölen.

Larry had 5 brothers; his identical twin Paul (who was the oldest by 9 minutes), Johnny, Danny, Rocky and Randy Krueger. Growing up in Tacoma, Larry moved with his family to Randle in 1963. In 1966, he met and married Vickie Cook and had two children, his son, Larry Stephen Jr. and his daughter, Teesha Ann. Larry cherished his kids and his grandkids. Although he was never a man of many words, there was never a question of how much he loved his family. Larry raised his own children, and then took on the responsibility of raising two of his grandchildren when, by all accounts, he should have been enjoying his golden years. There was nothing that Larry would not do for his family, and he was very proud of them all.

Second only to his love for his family was his love for hot rods. Larry was passionate about old cars. Larry and his brothers began restoring and rebuilding engines in hot rods when they were barely old enough to drive, and it wasn’t uncommon to see them in the garage all hours of the day. Larry was especially proud of his 1966 Chevy Nova II, that he restored and rebuilt with his friends and his brother John. His family used to joke that he would be buried in the Nova. A regular at the Washington state car show scene, Larry loved to spend his summers with his friends and family, showing off his hard work. 

Larry worked many jobs over his lifetime, but he was most proud of working for Washington State Department of Transportation, at the maintenance shed on White Pass. Larry worked hard days with long hours, and he was extremely proud of his crew and all they did to keep the roads to White Pass safe for travelers heading to the mountain. He retired from DOT in May of 2012, and when he left his crew renamed the salt shed after him with an official WSDOT sign.

Larry’s legacy is one of love and selflessness. It wasn’t uncommon for him to get a call at 3 a.m. because of a bad storm on the pass and the crew needed his help, even though he had worked a 16 hour shift the previous day. It wasn’t just at work, either. Larry could be seen bringing Christmas trees to folks who couldn’t get their own, mounting crosses each year for friends who had lost loved ones on the Pass, helping his friends and his brothers work on their cars, it didn’t matter what the circumstance was – he would show up. There are people who say they’ll help you, and there are people who actually will. Larry always showed up.

He leaves behind his brother Johnny (Nancy), son Larry (Kim), his 5 grandchildren, Tierra (Sean), Alexis (Cody), Skylar, Jordyn, and Chandler, 6 great-grandchildren, his nieces and nephews, and countless friends.

Larry is preceded in death by his parents, his brothers Danny, Rocky, Paul and Randy, his daughter Teesha, and his ex-wife and friend, Vickie. We are comforted by picturing the glorious reunion they must have had when Larry walked through the gates.

Although we are devastated, and always wishing for more time, we are forever grateful for the time that we had with him. I hope you hit those gold streets on two wheels, Big Lar. We’ll see you when we get there.  A graveside service will be held at the Silver Creek Cemetery in Randle on Friday, July 19, 2024 at 11 AM. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Larry Stephen Krueger, please visit our floral store.