By Chris Mayhew
Enquirer staff writer

FORT MITCHELL - The Christmas spirit emanated from Juanita D. Kroger through all seasons, and she spent her life giving of herself, said her son, Mark Kroger of Fort Mitchell.

Mrs. Kroger, a homemaker and volunteer for many community causes and charities, died Tuesday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Edgewood. She was 79.

"She always felt blessed and compelled to help out other people that she could," her son said.

Mrs. Kroger spent her time as a board member of groups including the Salvation Army of Kenton County, the St. Luke Community Foundation, the Mental Health Association of Kentucky and Senior Services of Northern Kentucky. She was a former president and board member for the Covington Ladies Home.

"She was a member of all those boards, but...basically she was just an individual who was there for other people without asking or expecting anything in return," he said.

It was common, especially when Christmas was near, for her to bump into people she knew through her service organization work that needed help to buy food and toys for their children, her son said.

"She was in a Christmas mode all year long," he said. "It was her favorite time of year."

Raised in Latonia, her parents taught her to live by Christian values and give something back whenever she could.

"She was always very religious, and believed that whatever happened, it was God's will," he said.

Mrs. Kroger's daughter-in-law Judy said she could sum her up in two words: "high energy."

"She would call me up in the middle of the night and say such-and-such person was burned out of their home and they don't have any clothes or toys for the kids," she said.

In 1969, Mrs. Kroger was one of the founding members of the Fort Mitchell Garden Club. She also maintained active memberships with the Kenton Heights Women's Club, Northern Kentucky Heritage League, the Fort Mitchell Tree Board and Fort Mitchell Baptist Church.

"I used to kid her and say her middle name was 'Go,' " said Judy Kroger.

Even though she was going blind and couldn't drive herself around anymore, she still had others drive her to places so she could lend a helping hand, most recently stuffing envelopes for U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning's campaign, her son said.

Mrs. Kroger enjoyed being known as "Grandma," and even her son called her that, he said. She and her husband of almost 54 years, Robert, attended every soccer game, school play and graduation, he said.

"She would juggle all of that (volunteer work), but not at the expense of family," he said.

Other survivors include her husband of 53 years, Robert; two sisters, Delores Davis of Palm Harbor, Fla., and Virginia Haake of Fort Mitchell; and two grandchildren, Laura Wasem and Sara Kroger.

Services have been held. Entombment was in Spring Grove Memorial Mausoleum in Winton Place. Swindler & Currin Funeral Home in Latonia is handling arrangements.

E-mail cmayhew@enquirer.com