- Date Of Birth: April 18, 1923
- Date Of Death: May 6, 2016
- State: Florida
Leo Henry Kruger, age 93, of Cocoa Beach, Florida, died Friday, May 6, 2016.
He was born April 18, 1923, in Germany to Henry and Olga (Klose) Kruger. He immigrated as an infant with his parents to the United States where they settled in a German-speaking Mennonite community in Philadelphia. Leo learned English when he started school in the Philadelphia public school system.
During the Second World War he was a conscientious objector and served in the Army Corps of Engineers. After the war he earned a Bachelors degree in chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania. While working on his Doctoral degree at the University of Kansas he met fellow student Anne Longsworth whom he married at her parents’ home in Flushing, Queens, New York, on January 29, 1955. They settled first in Berlin, New Hampshire where their eldestdaughters were bornand later in Kendall Park, New Jersey where they raised their four children. Well after earning a Doctoral degree in chemistry, and several years into his marriage, he also earned Maters’ degrees in mathematics and computer science. Leo spent most of his career as a research chemist working for the National Starch and Chemical Corporation. Science in general, and chemistry in particular had been passions of his since childhood. Being a researcher was his dream job, and he often said that he could not believe that he got to “play” at work. He was also proud of the many patents he earned in his field. Saving vacation days every few years also allowed for month-long summer vacations when he and Anne and their children took long road trips. His mother-in-law’s summer cabin in Estes Park, Colorado was a frequent destination; but no destination in North America was off limits. One summer the family even drove from New Jersey to Alaska. He enjoyed excellent health throughout his life, hiking and walking well into his 80’s.
