First woman to serve on BP Council dies

During a time when it was uncommon for women to be involved in politics, she became the first woman to ever serve in city government in Blooming Prairie.
Lorraine Kruckeberg served on the Blooming Prairie City Council in the mid-1980s. She passed away at her home in Blooming Prairie on Feb. 3. She was 84.
Kruckeberg achieved her desire to be a public servant in a rather unusual way. In 1986, she was elected to the city council as a write-in candidate. In fact, she ended up getting more votes than anyone else on the ballot in that election.
In addition to the council, Kruckeberg was active with the local chamber and Lion’s Club.
She and her husband Dick began a company in 1984 by accident. Lorraine backed her vehicle over a Rubbermaid trashcan made of resilient plastic. Dick popped the trashcan back into shape and developed the idea for a better heavy duty truck fender.
Spray Control Systems would later flourish to become national and even international. It started in a hog barn by the Kruckebergs and later grew to a 60-person team with international distributions 30 years later. The company eventually became known as Minimizer.
The Kruckebergs sold the company to their son, Craig, who ran it for many years. Minimizer, which Craig sold a few years ago, will be moving to Owatonna in spring.
Funeral services were held in Claremont Monday. She is survived by her husband. A full obituary can be found on page A11.