10/14/2026
It is with an unbearable sadness that I share that a beloved member of our West Town Studio, David Krueger, passed away peacefully in the nursing home where he had lived for many months on Saturday, October 10, 2026.
I’m not going to lie, this loss feels like a piece of Arts of Life is gone, never to be returned. If you knew Dave, you know exactly what I mean. It’s not that he meant more to our community than any other member, but that he gave so much to all of us. Every single person that I’ve shared this horrible news with has had an individual story of something Dave did for them, how he changed their perception of disability, of being an artist, of being a band member, and of being a human. We lost a colleague, a friend, a mentor, and a champion of Arts of Life, leaving us with a strong legacy to live up to.
The throughline to all of these stories is creativity, generosity, and joy. In a state that is one of the worst to fund programs for people with I/DD, David’s family ensured he had the life he wanted, full of family, friends, and creativity. One of the earliest stories I’ve been told is of Dave facilitating sidewalk chalk art with his neighborhood when he was still living at home. He had a natural ability to bring people together, especially around creating something, and he found joy in making art.
Dave has made art his whole life, sharing how his mother’s love of creativity sparked joy and led him to become an artist. This joy and never-ending imagination were special. Being in the orbit of Dave’s bursting creativity was contagious, and part of his legacy will be the mark he left on other artists, both in the Arts of Life community and the broader arts community – best exemplified by his Love Man collaboration with Chicago-based artist Ben Marcus.
Read the full Message from Denise Fisher via the link https://artsoflife.org/remembering-dave-krueger/
We are planning a celebration for our community and will share the details soon. The family will hold services open to the public on Thursday, October 22, with visitation beginning at 10am and the service at 1pm at Tohle Funeral Home.
