John Krier

John George Krier
John G. Krier, Hibbing died Sunday, September 28, 2014, exactly one month after being diagnosed with leukemia.  The oldest of seven children, John was born to George and Rose (Ruzynski) Krier on May 10, 1931.  The date was not only Mother’s Day, but also his mother’s twenty-first birthday.  He married his wife Jonelle (Koscak) in 1966.  They resided in Hibbing and had three children.  They were lifelong members of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Parish in Hibbing.
After graduation from Hibbing High School, he served in the US Air Force, during the Korean War, as an air craft mechanic.  His love of air planes and flying led him to earn a private pilot’s license.
He graduated from Hibbing Junior College in engineering and worked for Abe Mathews Engineering as a draftsman and construction engineer.  He then returned to school and earned Bachelor’s Degrees from UMD in Business Administration, Accounting and Earth Science.  For a short time he taught science at Red Lake High School and Eden Prairie High School, he then returned to Mathews Engineering as Office Manager.  After that he worked as an Accountant for the Hibbing School District and then for the Hibbing Technical College as the Business Manager, retiring in 1995.
He enjoyed photography, read extensively and loved history, especially local history.  He was one of the founders of the Hibbing Historical Society, acting as treasures and vice president.  He published two booklets on Hibbing for the Hibbing Historical Society: Reminiscences of a Ghost Town and Hibbing, the Richest Little Village.  He volunteered many hours at the Greyhound Bus Museum as treasurer and computerizing finance and inventory records.
John enjoyed his travels especially one to his mother’s homeland of Poland and visiting cousins in Luxembourg where he was able to see the Krier family home still existing from the 1600’s.  Together, all enjoyed a glass of wine from the Krier Winery.
He is survived by his wife, Jonelle Krier, Hibbing, children, Jeanine (Curt Carter) Krier, Minneapolis, Rebecca (Kenneth George) McGrath, Little Canada, MN, and Christopher (Brandy) Krier, Minneapolis, MN, grandson, Kenneth “George” McGrath IV, brothers, Norbert (Sandy) Krier, Hibbing, Ronald (Diane) Krier, Hibbing, and sister, Pauline (David) Maloney, Dubuque, IA.
He was preceded in death by his parents, George and Rose Krier, brother, George Krier Jr., and sisters, Rosemary Krier Baron and Betty Lou Krier Braden.
Funeral services for John will be held at 11:00am, Friday, October 3, 2014 at the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Hibbing.  The Rev. Fr. Gabriel Waweru will celebrate the Mass of Christian Burial.  Visitation will be one hour prior to the funeral Mass at the Dougherty Funeral Home on Friday.  Interment will be in the Maple Hill Cemetery of Hibbing.  Arrangements are with the Dougherty Funeral Home of Hibbing.

To sign John’s online register, please visit us at www.doughertyofhibbing.com.

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