Richard William Kruck

Richard William Kruck, 83, of Sodus, passed away peacefully Tuesday, November 19, 2019 at Caretel in St. Joseph. He was born November 1, 1936 in St. Joseph to William and Hulda (Eichler) Kruck. The family will receive guests from 5pm to 8pm, Thursday, November 21, 2019 at Starks & Menchinger Chapel, 2650 Niles Rd., St. Joseph. A funeral service will be held at 10:30am, Friday, November 22, 2019 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 3713 Naomi Rd., Sodus. Burial to follow at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Sodus. Memorial contributions may be given to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church or Michigan Lutheran High School. Rich is a graduate of Benton Harbor High School, class of 1955. He furthered his education by receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Western and a Master’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering from Notre Dame. On September 27, 1958, he married Virginia Froehlich at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Sodus. Rich retired from Whirlpool after 40 years as a manufacturing engineer. While there, he obtained numerous patents and was fondly referred to as “Dick” by his coworkers. Rich was honored with the Elisha Gray Award while at Whirlpool. Rich served on the Sodus Township Board for 50 years, was a member of the Board of Regents for Michigan Lutheran High School in the 1970s, and served his Lord as a dedicated board member for many years at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. Rich was a dedicated family man; always in attendance at his grandchildren’s sporting events and lovingly referred to as the “Whirlpool repairman” by his family. Rich is survived by his wife, Virginia Kruck; his children, Kenneth (Janine) Kruck, and Karen (Michael) Ott; his daughter in law, Gina Kruck; his grandchildren, Erik (Jory) Kruck, Patrick (Brie) Ott, Allison (Trevor) Chipman, Josh Kruck, Daniel Kruck, Amanda Ott, and Ashley (Taylor) Stahl; his great grandchildren, Sterling, Greyson, and Callahan; his brother, William (Sue) Kruck; his in-laws, Jean Froehlich, Connie Froehlich, Eunice Froehlich, Evelyn (Ronnie) Keigley, and Helen (Morrie) Vandenberg; and many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his son, Robert Kruck; his brother, Jerry Kruck; and his parents.