Carolyn Lee Krieger

Carolyn Lee (Northup) Krieger

December 16, 1944 - July 25, 2026 - age 81

Carolyn Lee Northup entered this world on Dec. 16, 1944 at the Navy Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. Her parents were Olena “Helen” (Vesko) Northup, a first generation Ukrainian American from Pennsylvania, and Dale Northup, a farm boy from lowa. They met and married in New York City, when her father’s ship was on furlough. Carolyn’s father was a cook on a navy destroyer, and she did not meet him until she was 10 months old, when he finally came home from the war. After the war, the family moved back to lowa to be near her father’s family.

Carolyn grew up in Perry, a small farming town. She said it was an ideal childhood - safe and stable, and surrounded by extended family. She and her younger sister attended parochial school, and her father owned the photography studio in town. Carolyn worked in the studio all through high school, and that is where she met Gary Jay Krieger, as he would come into the studio regularly to tease her.

Carolyn and Gary got married on Feb. 2, 1963. They were blessed with three children - Deborah, Barbara and Michael. They had many adventures, living in many different towns and states. They were married for 56 years when Gary passed away in 2019. Carolyn was a stay-at-home mom until the children got older and were all in school. She then enrolled as a full-time student at UW-Stout. She graduated in 6.5 years with two bachelor’s degrees and a master’s degree, on the dean’s list every semester, all while taking care of her husband, children, the house, etc. Looking back, we aren’t quite sure how she got it all done.

She started her professional career as a Registered Dietitian, working at hospitals and nursing homes. She then decided she wanted to “run things’, so she studied for, then took the state exams and passed them, to become a Nursing Home Administrator. She worked in this capacity until retirement, spending most of those years at the St. Croix County Nursing Home.

Carolyn was a stable and loving presence in many peoples’ lives, and she will be sorely missed by many. Thanksgivings and Christmases were always special and memorable. Her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were the focus of her life, especially in retirement, when she and Gary had the freedom to travel. She could also be depended upon to take the little ones to and from music lessons, pick them up after school, etc, and then feed them too many goodies. There were always bets as to how many different flavors of ice cream Grandma had in her freezer.

Carolyn was preceded in death by her father, Dale (2006), mother, Helen (2007), son, Michael (2010), husband, Gary (2019), and nephew, Brian Henry Fox (2011).

She is survived by her “baby sis” Martha (Henry David) Fox of Corona, CA, her half-sister, Donna Williams of Des Moines, IA, her two daughters, Deborah (Daniel) Christian of Wilson, WI and Barbara (Clifford) Zevenbergen of Guyton, GA, her daughter-in-law, Regan (Wyatt) Krieger-Repavich, of Waukesha, WI, her niece Michelle (Jeffrey) Massey of Nampa, ID, and special cousin, Suzanne (Mario) Coviello of East Bethel, MN.

She is further survived by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Aaron (Aimee) Zevenbergen and their children, Cooper, Graham, Holden, and Cambria, all of Yokosuka Naval Base in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan; Kymberlee Solnok and her children, Joseph, Jamison and Selah, all of Guyton, GA; Danae (Victor) Clara of New Berlin, WI; and Renata Krieger (fiance Zachary Leris) of Edina, MN.

There will be a private celebration for family members at a later date.

Services are entrusted to O’Connell Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Hudson. For more information or to share a memory, please visit www.oconnellfuneralhomes.com or call 715-386-3725.