Phyllis Powers

TUCSON, Ariz. — At age 99, Phyllis Powers died March 1, 2022, in Tucson, Ariz.

Phyllis was born Sept. 24, 1922, in Pierce County, the daughter of August Kruger Sr. and Rosa (Brozek) Kruger. She graduated from Randolph High School in 1940. Following high school, she pursued a long waitressing career in Fremont, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, Calif.; Minneapolis, Minn.; and Green Valley Ariz. In Minneapolis, she met and married her first husband, Nick Jarsko. Following his death, she moved to Green Valley, where she met and married her second husband, Russell Powers. Following Russell’s death, she had a special companion, Gene Doyle. In later years, she downsized and moved to Tucson, where she lived until she died.

Phyllis enjoyed life to the fullest and lived life with fun as her priority. She joined a senior tap-dancing group in Arizona, went white water rafting down the Colorado River, and traveled extensively, which included trips to Scotland, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Panama Canal, Greece and Turkey, as well as travel throughout the United States. She was also a member of the Ladies Auxiliary of the VFW and the Eagles Club.

She was preceded in death by her parents; and her brothers, August Kruger Jr., Alfred Kruger, Herman Kruger and Clarence Kruger; and her sisters, Ida Stueckrath, Ella Meyer, Edna Been and Doris Eddie; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Her decision was to donate her body to the Life Science Center of Arizona for scientific research.

Her final internment will be with her first husband, Nicholas Jarsko at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, St. Paul, Minn., at a later date.