William Kroll

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Kroll, William H. O. "Bill" was born 3 Dec. 1928 in Long Prairie, MN. Bill served as MP in Italy during WWII. He quickly picked up Italian to combine with his home-acquired German and became the company interpreter within 30 days. He returned to the states and asked his pastor for some advice. He suggested Bill go to a Lutheran Youth Group Conference. There Bill met Irene "Reina" who was his wife for 56 years, bearing and raising 8 children with him. Bill used the GI Bill to earn an EE degree at the UofM. He received the highest offers in his class and ended up in a mining town in the jungles of Venezuela. There he learned Spanish and the unwritten indigenous language, Warao. Bill invented techniques for electronically weighing railroad cars while patenting the electric hot plate and electric cigarette lighter. Bill developed methods for ultrasonically finding dangerous hidden micro- cracks in train wheels. In 1964 he decided that his family would be the first to drive the Pan-American dirt and rock "highway" and so they were. Twice. Before leaving South America in 1965 he went cross-country from Venezuela to Brazil defying all predictions of locals that he would ever survive. Bill enjoyed showing his slideshow and speaking on his adventures in the community for decades. Bill returned to the states and did graduate study at MIT in acoustics. He founded Wm. H. O. Kroll & Associates. He received numerous awards for his creative solutions to everything from airport noise problems to concert hall acoustics. Bill sailed the world's seas in ships large and small. He raced sailboats on Lake Minnetonka for 30 years. Bill had many hobbies that changed with time. He always loved hunting and fishing with his children and grandchildren. Bill was always ahead of his time: installing seatbelts in his car long before they were available even as an option and outlawing smoking in his home - much to the chagrin of friends and family on cold days. In semi-retirement Bill's new hobby was restoring a farm in Long Prairie - which he entitled Hof Edelweiss. He added an astronomical observatory, a saw mill and set up a first-class wood working shop. Bill's goal was to speak 10 languages and was brushing up on his Greek this year. In spite of countless avocations, Bill always put his family and the less fortunate first. He will always be "Opa" to his proud grandchildren. Bill was working on his farm on September 9 when he complained of a severe headache. From his hospital bed he called Reina to apologize for ruining their 56th anniversary. On October 1, he took his last breath surrounded by family. Bill was preceded by his brothers, Edwin and Robert, and grandson Bergmann. He is survived by his loving wife Irene and children, Mark (Lori), Billy, Connie (Bruce), Bobby (Gretchen), Karl (Jeanne), Kai (Sharon), Fritz, and Richard (Laurel); grandchildren, Brady, Mollie, Ryan, Anja, Ashford, Johann, Chase, Edwin, William, Kaitrin, Bho, Breann, Karl, Skipper, Cacilie, Hunter, Katja, Natalie, Matthew, Mitchell, and Claudia. Another grandchild and a great grandchild are expected this spring. Reviewal and services will be at Our Saviour Lutheran Church of Excelsior. Reviewals are at 5-8 PM Friday, Oct 5 and 9 AM Saturday, Oct 6. Service will be at 10 AM. Memorials preferred in lieu of flowers to: Trinity Lutheran Church, 610 Second Avenue, Long Prairie, MN 56347. Soldiers/Veterans of the Cross, LCMS World Relief Humanitarian Cause, 1333 South Kirkwood Road, St. Louis, MO 63122. Concordia Seminary, c/o Mark Hofman, VP, Office of Philanthropic Support, 801 Seminary Place St Louis, MO 63105

Published on October 6, 2007