Obituary for Richard George Krieger
RICHARD GEORGE KRIEGER, known as Rick, 59, was called home by God very unexpectedly in November 2020 to join his mother, Eleanor (1996), father, Oscar (2013), partner, Denise, and their fur baby, Micky (2018). He was predeceased by his paternal and maternal grandparents, numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.
Rick was never short on words; however, he left his six siblings: June Ingram, Rhonda Thomson, Kevin Krieger, Wendy Straub, Mona Krieger, Leanne Wilkinson, their families, a large extended family, co-workers at Barr-Ag, and his friends speechless with his unexpected passing. He made a huge impression on us all and he will be greatly missed and always remembered.
A man of Christian faith and strong believer in the Bible (which he read twice except for Revelation), Rick embraced John 11:25 (NIV) “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die”. He even said that he was not afraid to die just hoped he would pass peacefully in his sleep. God was faithful and Rick passed peacefully in his bed.
Born in Estevan, Saskatchewan, on July 7, 1961, he was the third of seven children and eldest son. Rick recalled that when the family moved to Edmonton, AB in 1974 and to Calgary, AB in July 1976, that his birthday occurred both times so he had to leave his friends. Always friendly and personable, it wasn’t long before he made lifelong friends and some of his favourite memories were created. Teen year stories included the school bus, teaching his sisters to drive, and riding the Honda 70 or the Yamaha 292 all over the community of Saddleridge (and beyond) but his pride and joy was a ’65 GMC truck that he helped refurbish and paint. Time, a lot of time, was also spent cutting grass, planting trees, hilling potatoes and building fences on the family acreage. These were tasks that he didn’t necessarily welcome then but Rick developed many skills and a love for working outdoors, nature and all animals.
Rick was a hard worker and very much a strategist. His strong work ethics and drive were also developed while working with his Dad and brother to build a water well drilling rig. Upon completion of the rig, and the formation of Krieger Drilling, he learned how to drill wells but he was keen on tinkering so he did the service work and would repair/install pumps and/or filtration units, purge wells, and troubleshoot, etc. He got great satisfaction every time he was able to improve the quality of or restore the water supply to someone’s home or troughs knowing that what he did helped.
He had a beautiful smile that was accompanied by a twinkle in his eye and a very distinguishable belly laugh. Always genuine, Rick was a very loyal friend and a great confidant despite his personal stories containing way too much information at times. He was known for being a very animated and detailed story teller. Memorable – if you ever met him you would remember him and if he was there everyone knew it either by his antics or helpful nature. He was the guy who would stop and help change a tire or drive you to a service station out of his way if you were stranded on the road. He was the guy that would miss an appointment to chase someone else’s cows. He was the guy who would get your car going in the winter or offer to drive his sisters to a funeral from Alberta to Saskatchewan for a family member in January. He loved details and making lists – and often the preparation for a task far exceeded the execution but he took pride in everything he did. He inherited Dad’s meticulousness for detail and pride of workmanship in his woodworking, painting, and yard work. He inherited Mom’s love of lists and for playing and singing music – especially his beloved guitars. He loved to watch Coronation Street and football on Sunday’s.
He was always willing to help his family and usually without asking or expecting much more than a meal, fellowship, a couch or spare room to sleep in and he usually ended up meeting all the neighbours and their dogs. He always took the time to say hello or acknowledge every living being. Rick was thoughtful and he would always call ahead to see if anything was needed from the store or if anyone wanted a breakfast sandwich from McDonald’s, and even when declined usually would still bring one. Breakfast he preached was the most important meal of the day but probably it was just breakfast in general because he was very excited when they started serving breakfast sandwiches all day; he didn’t eat or get fast food often living on a farm. He appreciated taking leftover pizza home and his collection of food storage containers was a reminder how much he loved and appreciated leftovers from his sisters and very mindful of waste – any waste – for example: leftovers, lights being left on in an empty room, and supplies for his projects to name a few (his birdhouse pieces were like a puzzle to utilize every bit).
Despite some life’s challenges, some of which were self-created obstacles, Rick was doing well. He was excited about change and the opportunities the next chapter in his life was manifesting. He had made amendments with and he knew he was loved and supported by his family and his friends; he was moving into a place he could call his own, was working where he felt valued and like family, had quit smoking cigarettes, and was the happiest that we can recall in a long time.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions we are not able to have a funeral service at this time, but a Service will be held at a later date. To view and share photos, condolences or memories of Rick, please visit www.choicememorial.com until we can share them together in person. For those who wish to make a donation, the family has selected Saving Grace Animal Society, in honour of Rick’s love of animals and his hope and belief in new beginnings.
Rick was never short on words; however, he left his six siblings: June Ingram, Rhonda Thomson, Kevin Krieger, Wendy Straub, Mona Krieger, Leanne Wilkinson, their families, a large extended family, co-workers at Barr-Ag, and his friends speechless with his unexpected passing. He made a huge impression on us all and he will be greatly missed and always remembered.
A man of Christian faith and strong believer in the Bible (which he read twice except for Revelation), Rick embraced John 11:25 (NIV) “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die”. He even said that he was not afraid to die just hoped he would pass peacefully in his sleep. God was faithful and Rick passed peacefully in his bed.
Born in Estevan, Saskatchewan, on July 7, 1961, he was the third of seven children and eldest son. Rick recalled that when the family moved to Edmonton, AB in 1974 and to Calgary, AB in July 1976, that his birthday occurred both times so he had to leave his friends. Always friendly and personable, it wasn’t long before he made lifelong friends and some of his favourite memories were created. Teen year stories included the school bus, teaching his sisters to drive, and riding the Honda 70 or the Yamaha 292 all over the community of Saddleridge (and beyond) but his pride and joy was a ’65 GMC truck that he helped refurbish and paint. Time, a lot of time, was also spent cutting grass, planting trees, hilling potatoes and building fences on the family acreage. These were tasks that he didn’t necessarily welcome then but Rick developed many skills and a love for working outdoors, nature and all animals.
Rick was a hard worker and very much a strategist. His strong work ethics and drive were also developed while working with his Dad and brother to build a water well drilling rig. Upon completion of the rig, and the formation of Krieger Drilling, he learned how to drill wells but he was keen on tinkering so he did the service work and would repair/install pumps and/or filtration units, purge wells, and troubleshoot, etc. He got great satisfaction every time he was able to improve the quality of or restore the water supply to someone’s home or troughs knowing that what he did helped.
He had a beautiful smile that was accompanied by a twinkle in his eye and a very distinguishable belly laugh. Always genuine, Rick was a very loyal friend and a great confidant despite his personal stories containing way too much information at times. He was known for being a very animated and detailed story teller. Memorable – if you ever met him you would remember him and if he was there everyone knew it either by his antics or helpful nature. He was the guy who would stop and help change a tire or drive you to a service station out of his way if you were stranded on the road. He was the guy that would miss an appointment to chase someone else’s cows. He was the guy who would get your car going in the winter or offer to drive his sisters to a funeral from Alberta to Saskatchewan for a family member in January. He loved details and making lists – and often the preparation for a task far exceeded the execution but he took pride in everything he did. He inherited Dad’s meticulousness for detail and pride of workmanship in his woodworking, painting, and yard work. He inherited Mom’s love of lists and for playing and singing music – especially his beloved guitars. He loved to watch Coronation Street and football on Sunday’s.
He was always willing to help his family and usually without asking or expecting much more than a meal, fellowship, a couch or spare room to sleep in and he usually ended up meeting all the neighbours and their dogs. He always took the time to say hello or acknowledge every living being. Rick was thoughtful and he would always call ahead to see if anything was needed from the store or if anyone wanted a breakfast sandwich from McDonald’s, and even when declined usually would still bring one. Breakfast he preached was the most important meal of the day but probably it was just breakfast in general because he was very excited when they started serving breakfast sandwiches all day; he didn’t eat or get fast food often living on a farm. He appreciated taking leftover pizza home and his collection of food storage containers was a reminder how much he loved and appreciated leftovers from his sisters and very mindful of waste – any waste – for example: leftovers, lights being left on in an empty room, and supplies for his projects to name a few (his birdhouse pieces were like a puzzle to utilize every bit).
Despite some life’s challenges, some of which were self-created obstacles, Rick was doing well. He was excited about change and the opportunities the next chapter in his life was manifesting. He had made amendments with and he knew he was loved and supported by his family and his friends; he was moving into a place he could call his own, was working where he felt valued and like family, had quit smoking cigarettes, and was the happiest that we can recall in a long time.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions we are not able to have a funeral service at this time, but a Service will be held at a later date. To view and share photos, condolences or memories of Rick, please visit www.choicememorial.com until we can share them together in person. For those who wish to make a donation, the family has selected Saving Grace Animal Society, in honour of Rick’s love of animals and his hope and belief in new beginnings.