Nancy J. Krueger

1955 - 2025

Cottonwood - Nancy J. Krueger was born April 13, 1955 to Willard L. Coffin, a successful farmer from Iowa, and to Anna (Parani) Coffin, who traveled from Italy at nine years old with her mother and sister. Nancy was extremely proud of her Italian heritage.

Nancy grew up on a farm outside of Boise, Idaho and graduated from Bishop Kelly High School in 1973. On July 5, 1975 her son Dustin W. Eldred was born. They immediately bonded and spent many years hiking, camping, motorcycling and backpacking the Idaho mountains. Dustin later became a wildland firefighter, which he dearly loved.

On May 16, 1992 she married her best friend, John A. Krueger, and they began a lifetime with adventures. Living first in Seattle, then returning to a ranch outside of Boise, where they started horseback riding all over the Owhyee desert, the Boise foothills, and when they wanted to stay out longer than one day, they went to a horse packing school. That allowed them to become caretakers of one of Governor Little's cows camps in Penn Basin and explore the Frank Church wilderness area. With her always, was their four little Boston terriers following behind.

Nancy and John both worked in banking, then later at St. Mary's Catholic Church, Boise until they retired to the Joseph Plains, and Idaho County area living off the grid. They exchanged horses for side-by-sides and explored their new area often times with her sister, Jany, nephew, Larry Crump, and good friends, Ron and DeeDee Ashley.

Nancys second love, or maybe first, was her dogs. She had anywhere from 2 to 5 at a time. She was able to leave them long enough to make two trips to Italy, the first in 1999 when she and her sisters and aunt took their mother Anna, so they all could meet the family. Then in 2014, she took John, and he said it was an amazing experience.

Nancy died December 21, 2025 at her home. She will have a Mass of Christian Burial at Saint Mary's Catholic Church, Boise on Wednesday, January 14, 2026 at 11:00 AM. She requested donations be made to anything that helps with dogs or the Wildland Firefighters Foundation. Arrangements are under the direction of the Blackmer Funeral Home, Grangeville. Send condolences to the family to blackmerfuneralhome.com.