John M. Kruger, 64, of Rapid City, SD, passed away on Thursday, August 7, 2025 in Rapid City.

John was born November 8, 1960 in Rockford, IL, the fourth of five children raised by Bill and Ann Kruger.

John received a BS in Geology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, an MS in Geology from the University of Montana, Missoula, and a PhD in geology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. John met the love of his life, Laurie Anderson, at Madison and they wed in 1994 in Baton Rouge, LA. John and Laurie shared their home with an abundance of spoiled dogs, some rescued and some that rescued them.

John served as a research associate and taught introductory geology and field geology at Louisiana State University in the 1990s. John retired from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in May 2025, serving for 26 years as a geologist and geophysicist.

John loved the outdoors, geology, history, and bad jokes. He enjoyed pheasant hunting, skeet and trap shooting, carpentry, and most especially fly fishing. He built his own rods and tied his own flies. He especially enjoyed fishing the North Tongue in the Bighorns with his friend Bryan, below the Pactola dam with his friend Steve, and on Castle Creek, while hanging out with Laurie and their dogs.

John had a wry sense of humor, a compassionate heart, and a keen intelligence. He was a devoted friend and a wonderful son-in-law and brother-in-law. He liked Pendleton shirts and down vests.

John is survived by his wife Laurie, sister Kay, brothers Dave and Rob, sisters-in-law Linda and Gail, dear friends and colleagues Amy and Laura, good dogs Piper and Georgia, and numerous nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his parents, mother-in-law Alma, beloved sister Chris, good friend Bryan, and a series of labs and lab mixes: Johanna (Jo), Francis (Frank), Maxine (Max), Louise (Lou), and Roberta (Bert).

A celebration of life for John will be held at John and Laurie's home and online on Saturday, August 23 at 1:00 pm.

Memorials can be directed to Feeding South Dakota.