Rev. George C Krebs

George C. Krebs, 83, born February 12, 1926 in Landeshut, East Germany to Arthur and Katharina (Kretschmar) Krebs, died and was born to Eternal Life on December 06, 2009, one year after the death of his beloved wife, June (December 06, 2008.). When George was 4 years of age, his family moved to Breslau (East Germany) where he attended grade and high schools. He then attended the Universities of Breslau and Heidelberg, plus the School of Theology (all in Germany) and the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, Switzerland, which at that time was affiliated with the University of Geneva. In 1948 George came to the United States and spent one academic year at Princeton Theological Seminary. During the summer of 1949, as a summer assistant to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in South St. Paul, MN, he met and married June C. Matzke, daughter of William and Agnes Matzke at Memorial Lutheran Church in St. Paul. Ordained in the ‘old ALC’ (American Lutheran Church) in 1950, he served congregations in Lockhart, Jackson and Minneapolis, Minnesota. In the summer of 1967, Rev. Krebs accepted a Call to become the Pastor of Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church in Minocqua, WI where he remained until his retirement from active ministry in November of 1986 after an accident no longer allowed him to fulfill a full-time ministry. For thirty years he also served in an official, but unpaid, capacity as a Police Chaplain for four northern Wisconsin counties. During those thirty years he received twelve official ‘recognitions’ from various police organizations as well as one from the State of Wisconsin. In addition, he served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches, the Secretary of the Parish Education Committee of the Minneapolis Conference of the American Lutheran Church and Chairman of the Lakeland Clergy Association in the Minocqua/Woodruff (WI) area. George was a life-long avid traveler who loved anything ‘trains’; one of the great joys of his life was riding the European trains with a Eurailpass and in later years, taking trips on Amtrak. He could recite both European and American rail schedules by heart as he was a passionate studier of rail time tables. After his retirement he took up cooking and became an accomplished chef. His wife, June, preceded him to the Eternal Home on December 06, 2008. He is survived by two children, daughter Kathy (Edward) Davig of Holmen, WI and son Martin (Jan) Krebs of Junction City, WI; two grandchildren, Heather (John) Bissen of Waterford, WI and Andrea (Jayson) Doody of Daphne, AL and three great grandchildren Allyson and Aaron Doody and Lauren Bissen. Arrangements are being handled by Schumacher Kish of La Crosse and Bolger Funeral Home of Minocqua, WI. The funeral service will be held at the church George served for so many years – Calvary Lutheran in Minocqua, WI on Tuesday, December 15, 2009. Visitation will begin at 9:00 a.m., followed by the funeral at 11:30 a.m. Burial will be in the Forest Garden Memorial Cemetery in Woodruff, WI. Memorials are preferred to either Calvary Lutheran Church in Minocqua or the Coulee Region Humane Society's Pet Therapy Program in La Crosse. The family would like to thank the following people or organizations for their love & care during the past eighteen months while George and June were living in La Crosse due to their health concerns: Dr. Tom Klemond, La Donna LeTourneau, Ellie Meyer & her team of 'catheter ladies', Gundersen Lutheran Hospice, Pastor Kent Meyer, the Coulee Region Humane Society's Pet Therapy Program (and 'Wilson') and most especially, the staff of Meadow Wood Assisted Living who lovingly cared for George for so long. These 'angels on earth' made George's remaining days as good as they could be; in addition, all of those mentioned have been an incredible help to the family since July of 2008 and we will forever be grateful.