Wilma Woidt Krueger (97) of Effingham

Wilma Woidt Krueger, 97, of Effingham, IL, passed away in the early morning hours of Saturday, July 30, 2022 during a brief stay at Heartland Senior Living in Neoga, IL.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, August 5, 2022, at Johnson Funeral Home in Effingham. Entombment will be in Arborcrest Memorial Park in Effingham. Visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Friday prior to the service at the funeral home. Online condolences may be shared by clicking here. 

Wilma was born on December 22, 1924, in Effingham, IL, the daughter of Ernest J. and Vida (Prather) Woidt. She married Raymond J. Krueger in August of 1950 and he preceded her in death in 1992. Wilma, always a romantic, taught herself to paint by studying the works of her favorite old masters. She devoted many years to developing her own style and tried to convey the illusion of a watercolor with her oil paints. She drew on dreams and memories of the past and the beauty of nature gave her an overwhelming desire to capture it on canvas. Being an artist brought an exciting dimension to her life, from a solo exhibit at the Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis to exhibiting in Washington D.C. across the street from the White House from 1987 through 1989 where she won three national competitions. Her paintings were also featured in the Governor’s galleries in Springfield, Chicago, and Rend Lake. More importantly, her work is displayed in the homes of her daughters and granddaughters. Wilma was the very center of her family and loved nothing more than long days and evenings spent with her grandchildren. Family parties were frequent, and her granddaughters loved to load their grandmother in an “UTV” and hit the trail around her daughter and son-in-law’s property. There were many bonfires, toasted marshmallows, and honey whiskey, which fueled the sing-a-longs. Wilma’s grandchildren and great-grands were certain she hung the moon and she never failed to tell them how special they were. Wilma loved her breakfasts at Niemerg’s and Denny’s and her special waitress friends. After she was widowed, she and her widowed friends decided it was pointless to cook for themselves and were devoted to dining out three times a day. She had a different group of friends for every activity, it seemed, and especially loved her “dancing” friends as they made their weekly trips to Pana or Mattoon to enjoy the big band music they all loved. They never allowed something like a hazardous winter weather prediction to wreck their plans. This is why her daughters have gray hair. Wilma was the life of every party and made friends wherever she went. We don’t quite know what we will do without her.

Wilma is survived by her daughters, Rae (Stephen) Printz of Altamont, IL, Karen (Butch) Dougherty of Maui, HI, and Cathy (Duane) Jefts of Lake St. Louis, MO; grandchildren, Stephanie Taran of Fort Mill, SC, Megan (Clint) Teel of Danville, IN, Bryn (Chad) Baker of Evansville, IN, Jennifer Byrd of Lake St. Louis, MO, and Katie Logan of St. Charles, MO; great-grandchildren, Rory and Maggie Teel, Nora and Nash Baker, Jagger Taran, Juliet Jefts, Jon Byrd, and Krios Logan; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Raymond; and sister, Barbara Wood.