Fern Viola Kral

Fern Viola Kral was born on March 5, 1924, in Fort Morgan, Colorado, to Hazel and William Griese. She passed away peacefully on her 102nd birthday, March 5, 2026.

Fern and her husband, Joseph Sr. Kral, married on July 25, 1939, and together raised nine children on their family farm in Woodrow, Colorado. She took great joy in hosting Sunday dinners, preparing meals from scratch for those she loved. Fern worked alongside her family well into her 80s, tending crops, caring for Black Angus cattle, bucking bales, watering cows, and driving the truck during fence construction, all while maintaining a home filled with flower beds that brought beauty to their lives. She spoke with deep affection for farm life and cherished her husband’s optimistic words during challenging seasons: “Next year will be better.”

A woman of strong faith and gentle spirit, Fern was active in her church, attending services faithfully with Joseph and sharing fellowship with a close group of women who gathered monthly for lunch. She found quiet pleasure in sewing and crocheting, creating blankets and gifts for others, and looked forward each week to playing bingo. Kind-hearted and approachable, she greeted people with a warm “What’s new?” and always took time to ask about their day and share news of the weather.

Fern was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph Sr.; her parents, Hazel and William; her brothers, Howard and Harold; her sisters, Francis and Faye; and all nine of her children: Marvin, Harvey, Joseph Jr., John, Rosalee, Francis, Shirley, Bonnie, and Connie. She is survived by her brother, Robert (Bob), as well as many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren. She will be deeply missed and remembered with love by all whose lives she touched.