John Thomas Krukenberg

John Krukenberg Obituary LIMA, Ohio----Mr. John Thomas Krukenberg, age 92, died May 5, 2020. John was born December 28, 1927 in Sidney, Ohio to Carl F. and Ruth F. Koch Krukenberg, who preceded him in death. John graduated from high school in 1945 in Sidney and attended Miami University, Oxford, Ohio from 1945-1947. While at Miami he met his future wife, Betty Louise Cruikshank. They were married at the Methodist Church in Columbus Grove, Ohio on July 17, 1949. John and Betty then moved to Springfield, Ohio where John worked for White Green Chevrolet. Shortly after their twin girls were born, they moved to Columbus Grove where John worked for the Empire Hatchery, a family owned business. While in Columbus Grove, they added two sons to their family. John later worked for White Chevrolet in Lima. In 1957 he was hired in production control at the Ford Engine Plant in Lima where he worked for over 30 years before retiring. He and Betty loved planning and building their “cabin in the woods” in Cridersville and spent many cozy days enjoying nature. John had many hobbies that kept him busy in retirement. He collected antique automobiles. He became interested in classic cars, also enjoyed restoring Ford Mustangs and Falcons. He collected Indian artifacts, antique guns and was an avid reader of books on each of these topics as well as subjects connected to parts of our country’s history. His skills of detail and patience allowed him to enjoy hours of figuring out the inner workings of most anything that had parts. He and Betty enjoyed traveling to various places in the U.S. where other collectors also gathered. For over 40 years he was a member of Shawnee United Methodist Church. He was a member of The National Rifle Association, The Ohio Gun Collectors and was a life member of BPOE Elks 54, Lima, Ohio. John enjoyed, for many years, his annual family vacation travels to Curtis, Michigan where he would go trout fishing with his father-in-law and, later, with his sons. John and Betty loved the music of the 1940’s and could dance the night away to the Big Band era melodies. They especially liked the songs of Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and the music of George and Ira Gershwin as well as several other music composers. John is survived by his twin daughters Jane A. (David J.) Norton of Texas and Joanne (Tom E.) Andros of Duncannon, PA; sons John F. (Charlotte) Krukenberg of Fishers, IN and Jeffrey A. (Xiu) Krukenberg of Delaware, OH; nine grandchildren: Amanda J. Andros of Oaklyn, NJ; Kristi J. Andros, of St. Petersburg, FL; Preston J. Norton, Port Jervis, NY; Clayton J. (Krissy) Norton, Cincinnati, OH; Jacqueline K. (Patrick) Chittenden, Carmel IN; Karl R. (Bekah) Krukenberg of Carmel, IN; Taylor A. Krukenberg; Logan A. Krukenberg, and Iain K. Krukenberg of OH; seven great grandchildren, Jayce, Braydon, and Morgan Ann of Cincinnati; Hannah Louise, Emily Grace Krukenberg; Sloan Katherine, Quinn Bell and Lou Patrick Chittenden all of Carmel, IN. John is also survived by niece (and wedding flower girl) Judith (George) Truesdail of Gordonsville, VA and nephew Stephen Ginader of Banner Elk, NC; great niece Jennifer Truesdail of New York, NY; great nephew Joshua Truesdail of Cary, NC; great niece Katherine (Max) Bradburn of Banner Elk, NC; great-great nieces Louise Truesdail of New York, NY and Autumn Bradburn of Banner Elk, NC; niece Laurie W. Reiser of Troy, OH and nephews Greg (Lisa) Winans of Cincinnati, OH; Tim Winans of Chapel Hill, NC and Andy Winans. John was preceded in death by his wife Betty Louise in 2013, sisters Judy K. Watkins in 2006 and Jean K. Winans in 1990. Hartman Sons Funeral Home of Columbus Grove is in charge of funeral arrangements for Mr. Krukenberg. Burial will be at Truro Cemetery, Columbus Grove. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Shawnee United Methodist Church, Lima, Ohio or Market Street Presbyterian Church, Lima, Ohio. Online condolences may be expressed at hartmansonsfuneralhome.com. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of John Thomas Krukenberg, please visit our floral store. Read More

John Thomas Krukenberg

December 28, 1927 - May 5, 2020