Lee Ruth Krieg

Lee Ruth Krieg, age 72, died on Monday, July 20, 2015 in Lubbock following a short illness and valiant battle with cancer. She was a longtime volunteer in Lubbock. Lee Ruth, an only child, was born in Taylor, Texas to Albert and Ruth Schroeder on December 14, 1942. She attended Taylor public schools and graduated from Taylor High School. After high school, Lee Ruth attended Rice University in Houston where she graduated in 1965 with a B.A. degree. She met Dan Krieg, a senior at Texas A & M, and they married in December 1965. They moved to College Station where Dan was pursuing his PhD. Daughter Andrea was born in 1970, and a second daughter, Dana, was born in 1972. In 1970, Lee Ruth and Dan moved to Lubbock where Dan became a professor at Texas Tech and Lee Ruth began her long “career” as a volunteer. Countless hours were spent volunteering for organizations including Lutheran Social Services where she served as president of the local board; more hours than could ever be imagined were spent organizing fund raisers (the annual Spring Fling) to benefit Neighborhood House, Health for Friends, Wedgewood South Assisted Living, and our local Foster in Texas office. In 2010, she joined the LSS/Upbring Board of Directors and served in that capacity until her death. As a lifetime member of Girl Scouts, Lee Ruth served in many capacities through the years for the Lubbock Area Council. She served as Board Chair for the Caprock Council and was a driving force and founder of the Girl Scouts “Women of Distinction” event which recognizes local female leaders and their contributions to our community. She herself was honored as a “Woman of Distinction” first in 1994 and then again in 2013 for her “Lifetime of Achievement”. She was one of only a few women to receive such an honor twice. Whether working with the girls directly or serving in strategic roles, Lee Ruth embodied the mission of the Girl Scouts until the very end of her life. The lives she touched can never be measured. Lee Ruth was also president of the Volunteer Network of the Lutheran Home of West Texas and president of the American Lutheran Church Women. For over 17 years, she served as a volunteer for the United Way of Lubbock in a number of strategic areas during the Annual Campaign. She was president of the local chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans as well as a leader in the local Altrusa Club for over 35 years. Even the local PTA saw her involvement as a parent volunteer at her children’s schools. Lee Ruth and Dan were a driving force behind the Bayer Museum of Agriculture’s success. She served on the board from 2008 until her death. Lee Ruth and Dan were major donors to the museum’s History of Cotton and Ginning exhibit, and she was instrumental in making the museum’s fundraiser “A Night for the Museum” a huge success. No task was too small or detailed if it involved one of her “passions”. Lee Ruth believed in “giving back” in every aspect of her life whether it was feeding Dan’s graduate students, planting shrubs at the Lutheran Home of West Texas, selling Girl Scout cookies on the street corner, or filling a need when she saw it or learned about it. She knew the rewards of mediation and was a “master” at volunteering and rounding up volunteers. No task was insurmountable and she took on new challenges without a second thought. Lee Ruth is survived by two daughters: Andrea and Dana and Dana’s husband Stephane Besson and his three children: Gabrielle, Tristan, and Avery. She was preceded in death by her parents as well as her husband, Dr. Daniel “Dan” Krieg, who died on June 18th of this year. On December 26, 2015, they would have celebrated 50 years of marriage A memorial service is planned for Friday, July 24th at 12:00 pm at the Bayer Museum of Agriculture, 1121 Canyon Lake Drive. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Lutheran Social Services (https://secure.upbring.org/), Girl Scouts of America http://www.girlscouts.org/invest/), Texas Tech University (https://apps.texastech.edu/online-giving, search for Dr. Daniel and Lee Ruth Krieg Scholarship Endowment), or the Bayer Museum of Agriculture (https://agriculturehistory.org/donate).

Lee Ruth Krieg

December 14, 1942 - July 20, 2015