Mary C Krueger

Mary Jemison Conrath Krueger, a longtime resident of Moorestown, NJ, passed away peacefully at Riverview Estates Baptist Home in Riverton, NJ, on March 22 at the age of 95. During her long and fruitful life, Mary left her mark in this world in many ways. Beloved by family, friends and neighbors, she was a strong, nurturing woman with a calm, friendly demeanor. She was genuine, caring, funny, heartfelt and fiercely independent. She thrived well into her 90’s living alone at her beloved home in Moorestown. To perhaps best know Mary was to see her in and around her house on 3rd Street. As a self-taught gardener, she created a wonderland of greenery, color, shape, and texture in her yard with careful cultivation and placement of trees, plants, flowers (she really loved wildflowers!) and hardscape elements. The result of her endeavors was an enchanting, tranquil and magical environment enjoyed by visitor and wildlife alike. The birds were particularly happy there. The interior of her home was equally charming and serene. She had innate sense of style and design, which went hand in hand with her love of Colonial and other early American antiques. She enjoyed life with her family and a wonderful group of good friends but was also quite content when she was on her own. She loved puzzles of all sorts- crosswords, jigsaw, sudoku, etc. During the weekday evenings, life would be put on pause so she could enjoy her daily martini and watch the PBS Newshour. One of her quirks or charms was that she was decidedly anti-tech; she never used a microwave or computer in her life! She had a special place in heart for her cats that she cared for through the years, including the frequent visitors who would show up for snacks at her backdoor. Mary was born in Erie, PA on November 6, 1929 to Carl Frederick William Conrath and Helen Jane Jemison. Her mother passed away when she was 7 years old and Mary was raised by her father with the help of several aunts. Of note, Helen was a full-blooded Native American from the Tonawanda Band of the Seneca Nation in upstate New York. Both Mary and her mother were descended from Mary Jemison (1743-1833), a Scots-Irish frontierswoman who was kidnapped as a small child and was raised by and married into the Seneca tribe. It’s a fascinating story: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Jemison. Mary graduated from Millcreek High School, Erie in 1947, and received a B.A. in Commerce and Finance from Penn State University in 1951. She eventually settled in Philadelphia with her best friend and college roommate, Patricia Quigg. She and Pat remained lifelong friends. Also in Philadelphia, she met and married Charles S. Krueger, with whom she had two sons, Charlie and Jamie. After moving to Moorestown, she spent much of her career doing the bookkeeping for the engineering firm of Lord, Anderson, Worrell and Barnett in Burlington, NJ. She is survived by her sons Charles Krueger and James Krueger, daughter-in-law Iryna Yevlanova and grandson Maxim Krueger (Charles’s wife and son respectively). There will be a gathering of family and friends to memorialize Mary in mid-May, date and site to be determined. E-mail Jamie (jfkrueger@hotmail.com) or Charlie (ckrueger99@me.com) for details.

Mary C Krueger

November 6, 1929 - March 22, 2025