Ninfa Krueger

NINFA OCHOA KRUEGER

EDINBURG – Ninfa Ochoa Krueger, 87, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, at her residence in Edinburg. 

Ninfa Krueger was born in Donna, TX, on November 10, 1935, the middle child among five children.  She graduated from Donna High School and attended secretarial school after graduating.  She has been described as “a force of nature” by friends and colleagues as she dedicated her life to helping the most vulnerable parts of the population.

Ninfa married her husband, the Rev. Edgar A. Krueger, in 1971.  A short time later, the family moved to California to organize farmworkers alongside Cesar Chavez.  After a few years in California, the family moved to Santiago, Chile, right after Augusto Pinochet rose to power.  Sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee, Ninfa and Ed worked to help the indigenous people living in fear under the dictatorship.  In 1981, Ninfa Krueger founded the Border Association for Refugees from Central America (“BARCA”).  The group was funded by grants and gifts and worked to provide legal assistance to women and children who had been detained while crossing the border so that they might be legally allowed to stay in the United States.  BARCA has received national recognition for the work it does, and Ninfa spent all her free time working on the project until her health ultimately made it impossible to continue.

Among many other awards and recognitions, Mrs. Krueger received the Texas Civil Rights Project’s Henry B. Gonzalez Award in 2014 for her lifetime dedication to serving others.  She will be deeply missed by many, but her legacy will be celebrated for many years to come. 

Ninfa Krueger is preceded in death by her beloved husband, the Rev. Edgar A. Krueger; parents, Jesusa Perez and Pilar Ochoa; and siblings Pilar Ochoa Jr., Alfredo Ochoa, and Arturo Ochoa. 

Ninfa Krueger is survived by three sons, David Krueger, Douglas Krueger (Jocelyn Wulf), and Daniel Krueger (Lauren Krueger); six grandchildren, Gwendolyn Krueger (Cody Jones), Jennifer Krueger (David Smith), Derek Krueger, Devin Krueger, Wyatt Krueger and Grace Krueger; two great-grandchildren, Madoc Jones and Laurel Smith; and brother, Abel Ochoa.

Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday, November 12, 2023, at Memorial Funeral Home, 208 E. Canton in Edinburg.  Funeral service will take place at 10 a.m. Monday, November 13, 2023, at First Christian Church, 410 W. University Dr in Edinburg, TX. Interment will follow at Val Verde Memorial Gardens in Donna.

Funeral services are under the direction of Memorial Funeral Home in Edinburg.