Nelson Lytle Krueger, Pilot, Husband & Grandfather 09-11-1947 to 07-10-2026.
Nelson – known to his granddaughters as “Poppy,” took to higher skies on July 10, leaving a legacy that reached far and wide. He grew up in Natoma, Kansas, before moving to Hays during high school. His introduction to flying was when his parents took him and his brother, Henry, for a flight at a “Penny-a-Pound” event in Russell, KS. He determined then he would become a pilot, and flying was his passion all the days of his life. Nelly (as he was called growing up) sorted pop bottles at Dillons for 63 cents-an-hour to earn money toward flying lessons. When he reached the legal employment age, he worked as a “line boy” at the Hays airport, fueling airplanes and washing windshields in exchange for flying lessons. He soloed at 16, earned his private license at 17 and Instrument Rating and Instrument Instructor at 18. As a high school senior, he applied to every airline he knew, and when he and Judy married, they moved to Lawrence where he could continue his education as well as be close to Kansas City so he could keep touch with (pester) T.W.A. and more easily go other places to keep applying. He showed up at the Lawrence Airport and was immediately hired to take kids for rides at an ongoing event. That led to his becoming an instructor for the KU ROTC program. Persistence paid off. TWA called him with a class date for training, but not yet 21, he had to wait 3 months till he was 21 and 2 days old. The competition with former fighter pilots who had thousands of flight hours was daunting, but he survived. His first assignment was the Boeing 727, and later moved up to the Lockheed 1011, and ended his career on the Boeing 747. Intermittently, he taught at the TWA training center, and “on the line,” he instructed and served as a Check Airman. He was very proud to have instructed TWA’s first five female pilots. During one of the three furloughs (due to fuel shortages) he did some government affairs work for TWA, having earned experience working for Senator Bob Dole. In spare time, he taught many kids and adults basic flying and preparing others for upgrades.
The highlight of his career was his selection as a crew member for Pope John Paul II’s first visit to the United States. He didn’t think he’d ever meet the Pope, but the first day he was in the cockpit alone, the door opened, and the Pope stepped in, stared at Nelson (age 32) and said, “You are so young!” Nelson, stunned, eloquently answered back, “and you are so wet!” It was raining in Boston and jetways were not being used. The Pope’s next stop was New York where he was going to address the United Nations. Nelson offered his crew hanger and to hang to Pope’s cape under the air vent so the Pope would be comfortable and look good in New York. The Pope accepted. For every stop thereafter, the Pope would stop in the cockpit to check how he looked. A few years later, on a trip over Christmas, he was able to contact the Pope’s Secretary of State, and got permission to take the crew to Christmas Eve mass.
In 1990-1991, Nelson volunteered to fly troops as part of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet into and out of Desert Storm/Desert Shield on 18 trips. He loved meeting the soldiers, taking their photos and exchanging mementos with them. At the award ceremony when the war was over, he made sure the flight attendants on those flights received the same Air Medals as flight crew for flying into a war zone. He told the Air Force General the flight attendants had worked hard and made the soldiers feel cared for and comfortable and would have been just as dead as the pilots if something had gone wrong.
During three furloughs experienced in the 1970s due to fuel shortages and the Arab Oil Embargo, it was his honor to work in Kansas for Senator Bob Dole and for the U.S. Department of Labor, experiences which greatly expanded his perspectives and friendships across the state. His priority responsibility was to ensure the farmers had fuel for harvest and transporting crops to market. He remained friends with Senators Bob and Elizabeth Dole and Senator Nancy Kassebaum. Bob Dole’s advice during challenging times was “never give up,” and Nelson never did.
As proud as he was of his flying career and work for the Senator, Nelson’s greatest love was his family. He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He said he felt adored by his wife, Judy, and he adored her. He was thrilled when his children, Jacquie and Trevor, were born and he did everything possible he could for them.
When grandson, Jack, came along, Nelson (Poppy) had great joy engaging him in a computer program called Jumpstart Toddler, taking him to the airport, and getting him a bottle of Coke from a friend’s old Coke machine. He was always happy when he drove home and granddaughters, Katherine and Charlotte, were there. They were the light of his life. Poppy was always proud of them and cheered on their accomplishments. As they got older, and in his last days, he never gave up asking about the status of their cars’ fuel, and he checked their oil, wiper fluid, and made sure they had money for fuel – and a treat. Most of all, he wanted them to be truly happy.
Some of Katherine and Charlotte’s favorite memories of Poppy include his picking them up from volleyball and “driving like a grandpa” so he could enjoy them and their conversations as long as possible. He taught them to drive – first on golf carts- then in his Suburban on less travelled streets and out to the lake. One year, he and Judy got monarch butterfly caterpillars. Nelson insisted one of the bathrooms would be the “incubator”- and so it was that Katherine, Charlotte and friends got to watch the monarchs through all the hatching stages. Then they set the new butterflies free. Poppy watched The Voice with the girls every Monday night and put up with them watching The Bachelor. He loved Easter, Christmas and candy as much as they did. He insisted on taking the girls to KU’s Lied Center for concerts and to Colorado as much as possible where countless memories were made. He, too, learned to distinguish between virga and the smoke of forest fires.
Nelson believed there was nowhere in the world better than Lawrence. Eating at his favorite Massachusetts Street restaurants was as important for socializing as it was for the food. He loved sitting at the bar where he could meet more people. He made new friends every day and everywhere. No one could remain a stranger. He’d begin by asking where they were from, telling them a joke or a story (he had many) and asking for theirs. He’d usually find a connection they shared. His kindness, humor, and sense of adventure shaped and uplifted many spirits. He also loved, entertained, amused and appreciated all the doctors, nurses, and caregivers he had along the way. With grace and appreciation, he accepted the dignity-robbing care he knew he had to have. A week before he slipped away, he and Judy quietly celebrated their 59th anniversary. They were together and at home.
Recognitions Nelson earned were many and diverse. Among them were:
Distinguished Alumni, Fort Hays State University
BS & MS for Business Administration & Physics
Award of Excellence/ Flight Crew of the Year – TWA
Crisis Response Team Member – TWA
Rare Bird Award – Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA)
Induction into the International Forest of Friendship Outstanding Aviators by the 99s
Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award – Federal Aviation Administration
