Catherine C. "Katie" Kroeger (94) of Effingham

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Published on January 15 2020 4:01 pm

Catherine C. “Katie” Kroeger, 94 of Effingham, passed away Wednesday morning, January 15, 2020 at HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital in Effingham.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, January 18 at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Effingham with burial in St. Anthony Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Friday evening at Bauer Funeral Home in Effingham. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to Sacred Heart Church or the Effingham County Courthouse Museum. Online condolences may be expressed by clicking here.

Katie was born July 12, 1925 on the Meyer Family Farm in Cumberland County, the daughter of Alfred U. and Margaret A. (Hemmen) Meyer. She graduated from Effingham High School in 1943 and married Harold H. Kroeger on August 13, 1947. He preceded her in death in 1989. Katie was employed at Illinois Job Service for 28 years and retired in 1991.

Katie was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Effingham, where she participated in the Altar Society, Choir and was a Eucharistic Minister. She was a lifelong volunteer of many causes including Operation Snowball for 35 years where she was the area director. Katie was also involved with the Junior Women’s Club and was the club president from 1950 - 1951. She had a passion for flowers and gardening and used that in her involvement being a charter member of the Green Thumb Garden Club, a Girl Scout and Boy Scout leader and the Effingham Women of Today.

Katie enjoyed helping others and volunteered with the Effingham County Courthouse Museum. She was honored with the “One Person Can” award in 1991 from the Illinois Drug Education Alliance, was the Junior Women’s Club Woman of the Year recipient, Parade Marshal in the Effingham Halloween Parade in 1981. In 1993, she was named Effingham’s Citizen of the Year.

Katie is survived by her children, Linda (Don) Schuessler of Coburg, OR, Dr. John T. (Cheryl) Kroeger of Effingham and Mary (Jon) Macnider of Hoffman Estates; grandchildren, Amber (Kiel) Schmitz, Ian (Mary) Macnider, Andrew (Jenny) Macnider, Nathaniel Macnider, Jessica (David) Leu and Caitlin (Andrew) Potere; great-grandchildren, Hazel, Cole and Everett Schmitz; siblings, Pauline Lueken and Shirley Heuerman; sister-in-law, Connie Meyer.

Katie was preceded in death by her parents; husband; son, Harold F. “Hal” Kroeger; brother, Alfred “Sonny” Meyer and brothers-in-law, George Leuken and Melvin Heuerman.