Barbara Ann (Meyer) Krogsrud

Freeland, MI

Barbara Ann (Meyer) Krogsrud, age 75, passed away suddenly in Saginaw, Michigan on December 6, 2022 following a stroke.  Barbara was born and raised in Frankenmuth, Michigan.

Barbara graduated from Wayne State University with a B.A. in Psychology.  Her start at WSU was auspicious.  When her father drove her to the Wayne State campus from Frankenmuth shortly after the 1967 riots, he was very reluctant to leave her, but she was determined to stay.  While at WSU, Barb developed a life-long love of art which led to her own collection of art and innumerable visits to art museums.  While finishing her studies at WSU, Barbara met her future husband, James Krogsrud.  They were married in 1969.

Barbara is best remembered for her heartfelt devotion to childhood teaching.  She did not have a clear professional goal upon graduation in 1969.  Instead, she answered an ad for the Urban Teacher Corps.  Due to a shortage of teachers, the UTC offered non-education college graduates the opportunity to earn a Masters Degree in Education while practicing teaching in Pontiac, Michigan.  Soon after finishing the UTC program, Barb was hired to teach in an elementary school in Clinton Township near Detroit.

In 1972 Barbara joined her husband in Madison, Wisconsin, while he pursued a law degree. In 1974, she and her husband Jim joined the VISTA program (Volunteer in Service to America) and worked in the Bismarck North Dakota United Tribes Education and Technical Center.

They returned to Detroit in 1976, where they resided until 2011.  Barbara's teaching career included 10 years in the Romulus schools and several years at a Montessori early childhood program in the inner city of Detroit.  It was not long before her skills were recognized by Farmington Hills Schools, where she spent the rest of her 40-year teaching career, ultimately as a Reading Recovery Specialist. During her teaching career, Barb was nominated for various teaching awards.

After Barb and Jim relocated to Freeland in 2011, Barb remained active as a volunteer.  She taught reading at the Legacy Center of Midland, and she served on the Friends of the Public Libraries board, helping to establish the Books for Babies program which provided books to parents with newborn children.  Barb and her husband were life-long members of the YMCA.   She was a member of Historic Trinity Lutheran Church in Detroit, and following their move to Freeland, both she and Jim became members of First Presbyterian Church.

Barb is survived by her husband of 53 years, James Krogsrud, and her two brothers: Frederick (Elisabeth) Meyer of Salmon Arm, British Columbia, and David (Julie) Meyer of Freeland, several brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, and numerous nieces and nephews.   She was pre-deceased by her parents, Norman and Charlotte Meyer and by her oldest brother, Thomas.

Memorial service will take place on Monday, December 26, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. at Cederberg Funeral Home of Frankenmuth, 590 N. Franklin Street. Rev. Ted McCulloch will officiate. Barb's family will receive visitors at the funeral home on Monday, December 26th from 9:30 a.m. until the time of service. Those planning an expression of sympathy may wish to consider memorials to READ Association of Saginaw County Support READ (readinsaginaw.org) , Saginaw Public Library, or a charity of choice.