SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A new memorial near Robb Field in Ocean Beach honors Steve Krueger, the 61-year-old UPS driver who was killed when a plane crashed into his delivery truck in Santee in 2021.
"It's very moving for my family. We're really excited about this," Jeffrey Krueger said about the memorial for his brother.
The memorial, installed on Wednesday, features two benches and a plaque just blocks away from where Steve used to live in Ocean Beach.
"He'd be pretty emotional about it, he'd be moved, obviously very grateful," Jeffrey Krueger said.
Steve Krueger died in 2021 while delivering mail for UPS on the same route he had worked for decades when a plane crashed into his truck and two homes in Santee.
"Things pop up every now and then of - Steve and I did this or this was something Steve would've liked doing," Jeffrey Krueger said.
I first met Jeffrey Krueger a few days after his brother's death and followed through with him almost every year since as he relentlessly pushed for a memorial in Steve's memory.
"You just got to keep chipping away at it and working at it, don't give up. That was how Steve was too. That's why when this started, I said 'I can't give up on this', because eventually I'll see Steve again and never hear the end of it," Jeffrey Krueger said.
Jeffrey had to coordinate between city, county and state authorities before getting approval for the memorial site near Robb Field Skateboard Park, next to a bike path overlooking the water – a tribute to Steve who was an avid water skier.
"This thing could be here 50 years from now, and people will say 'who's Steve Krueger?' And they can look up and find out and see who he was. So he'll always be remembered," Jeffrey Krueger said.
The four-year anniversary of Steve's death is in a few days. Jeffrey says his family and friends will return to the memorial around that time for a final dedication ceremony.
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