Biography of Christine Kruschel

Christine Kruschel - 5th grade

I was born in Green Bay, WI. I went to St. Paul’s School for grade school and Northwestern Prep in Watertown for high school. Our family moved to Watertown during my high school years when my dad accepted a call to St. Mark’s School.

Both my mom and dad were Lutheran school teachers and I followed in their steps by going to Dr. Martin Luther College in Minnesota to study to be a teacher.

My first call was to Norfolk, Nebraska where I taught 3rd and 4th grade. After one year of teaching there, I married my high school sweetheart, Peter, and moved to Seminole, Florida where he was a vicar as part of his training to become a pastor. In Florida I taught kindergarten and first grade. The next year we moved to Cedarburg while my husband finished his last year at the Seminary in Mequon. I taught kindergarten and special ed at St. Matthew’s in Milwaukee.

That ended my full-time teaching career for a few years. I stayed home with our son, Jonathan, while my husband began his calling of pastor at Grace Church in downtown Milwaukee. During those years I substituted mainly in the inner city of Milwaukee.

After six years in Milwaukee we moved to Orlando, Florida, to start a mission church. I got to be full-time church “organist”, choir director, Sunday school teacher, babysitter for the church secretary, and everything else that goes into getting a new church going. It was great!

While in Florida our second son, Samuel, was born and I did some substitute teaching at the WELS school nearby.

Both our sons are married, Jonathan to Nicole Bluhm – a daughter of St. Paul’s congregation, and Samuel to Kimberly. Jonathan is a pastor in Stevensville, Michigan and has two beautiful little girls, Samuel works at US Bank in Milwaukee.

Besides teaching I love to work in the garden, read, and take long walks. The thing that always brings a smile to my face is spending time with our two little granddaughters.

I’ve been teaching at St. Paul’s since 1989. It’s been a joy to get to be a part of so many children’s lives and especially to share the good news of our Savior with them and their families.