Scott Krumnauer

Master Sergeant, United States Army

February 13, 1976 – February 21, 2014
Age – 38
Saginaw, MI

Operation Enduring Freedom
Fort Lewis, WA

Died suddenly while serving at Ft. Lewis, Washington of undisclosed cause

Scott Krumnauer was born Feb. 13, 1976, in Saginaw, to John and Janice Krumnauer. He was raised in the Vassar and Frankenmuth area, his parents said, and graduated from Frankenmuth High School in 1994. Krumnauer served at numerous locations across the United States and overseas, including South Korea, Cuba and most recently Afghanistan.

His wife had just begun her own tour of duty in Afghanistan as an Army sergeant herself. We were just talking about that he was working on the car and trailer and getting them ready for when I got back,” Trish Krumnauer said. “We were going to go four-wheeling with the Jeep and go camping.”

The couple had spent two weeks together stateside before Trish Krumnauer was deployed. He remained on duty at Fort Lewis, in Washington, and they spoke every morning and every night.

“I was supposed to call him later,” she said. “I got the call instead.” She was notified that her husband died while working at the base.

The couple became friends during a U.S. Army deployment to Cuba, when she saw Krumnauer as he was getting ready to go SCUBA diving. “I wanted to learn and we just started talking,” she said. “Everything clicked.”

The couple was always together during later deployments, she said, and his deployment in June 2013 to December 2013, followed two weeks later by her deployment in December 2013, were the first times they were apart for an extended period of time. “We had just missed each other (in Afghanistan),” she said about their latest deployments, adding, “I wa just thinking about it. He was just in Afghanistan. It could have happened there.”

Janice Krumnauer, said the news of his death came as a shock. “I can’t believe it happened,” she said. Her son had worked hard to achieve the rank he did in the Army, she said, and he was looking forward to retirement. He wanted to serve his country. He liked to work on railroad models and was restoring two 1971 Dusters at the time of his death. He was looking forward to the day they could be driven.

He was remembered by his fellow soldiers with the following words.

Brother, you will be missed and may you rest in peace. It was a pleasure to know you and to have served with you. I will never forget Beer and horseshoes at Knox, homemade wine and chucking the yard umbrella like a lawn dart. Working with you at Leonard Wood was the best-train sets, slappy hands, bouncy balls, fatty cakes, unsanctioned MMA bouts, and about a million pranks we all played on each other. Miss you brother! Trish, Kayleigh, Kyle and the entire Krumnauer family, my heart goes out to you and yours. We lost a great one way too early.
SFC Brian Mayrand

Scott, it was an honor and a privilege to serve with you both in Afghanistan and in JBLM. You were a Soldiers Soldier who had an unequalled care and compassion for the Profession of Arms and all that served alongside you. Rest in Peace! My condolences to your loved ones.
Richard Lopez