Thomas J. Kreul

Madison / Verona - Thomas J. Kreul, age 74, passed away on Thursday, March 1, 2012 at his home in Verona. He was born October 16, 1937 to Leo and Lucile (Carroll) Kreul in Highland, Wisconsin. Tom was proud to be a native of Highland and talked fondly about growing up there, from working at his father's grocery store to playing high school basketball and baseball for the Highland Cardinals. He served in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Korea during the 1960s. He married his wife Jean (Myers) on June 25, 1966 in Madison. For 42 years they lived in the Westmorland neighborhood and were active members in Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish. As Tom's children grew up, he coached teams at West Madison Little League and sponsored Kreul's Standard, a city-league youth baseball team. He also volunteered his in his community through such events as Edgefest Follies, Queen of Peace pancake breakfasts, and Westmorland's Visit from Santa. For over 40 years, Tom worked in service stations and operated his own, first on Monroe Street and then on Mineral Point Road. He later worked as a Stark Realtor, and was proud to be a bus driver for the Middleton Cross Plains School District, Route 5...[more]

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Tom enjoyed watching all Wisconsin sports with his friends and family, and also had a special place in his heart for the Chicago Cubs. He kept active well into his 40's playing for the Village Bar softball team and running a recreational basketball program. Tom treasured all the relationships he built throughout these years and he made countless wonderful friends. Tom is survived by his wife of 45 years, Jean; three children, John (Kerri), James, and Maureen (Brian) Vandervest; and 7 grandchildren, Alex, Keegan, Chase and Hayden Kreul and Benjamin, Adam and Hannah Vandervest; and three sisters, Margaret (Paul) Kelley, Evelyn (Warren) McQuade and Carol Baggot, and many nieces, nephews and friends. He was preceded in death by a daughter, Diane; his parents; a sister, Mary Claire Kreul; a brother, William Kreul; a sister and brother-in-law, Virginia and Joseph Prochaska; and a brother-in-law, Edward Baggot. A visitation will be held from 4 until 7 p.m. on Monday, March 5, 2012 at CRESS FUNERAL HOME, 3610 Speedway Road, Madison. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 6, 2012 at OUR LADY QUEEN OF PEACE CATHOLIC CHURCH, 401 S. Owen Drive, Madison, with Msgr. Kenneth J. Fiedler presiding. A visitation will also be held one hour prior to the service at the church on Tuesday. Burial will follow at Resurrection Catholic Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Our Lady Queen of Peace School Endowment Fund, 401 S. Owen Drive, Madison, WI 53711, or the American Cancer Society, South District Office, 8317 Elderberry Road, Madison, WI 53717.