After a valiant, decades-long battle with chronic illness, Christine "Chris" Kroeger passed away Friday, March 7 surrounded by her closest family. She was 76 years old.

Preceded in death by her parents, George and Claire Zaborowski, Chris is survived by her loving husband of 56 years, Thomas "Tom" Kroeger; her brother Tom Zaborowski; their daughter, Lisa Murtha (Matt); extensive treasured family; and three beloved grandchildren: Alex, Spencer and Henry Murtha. She was greatly anticipating the wedding of Spencer to Elizabeth "Ellie" Robinson on Saturday, March 15, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Chris grew up on the near-west side of Cleveland, Ohio, in the shadow of steel mills and her iconic family restaurant, Sokolowski's University Inn. She attended St. John Cantius high school, where she was a cheer leader and gym leader. Less than a year after graduation, she married Tom, her high school sweetheart, true love and best friend to the end.

Chris worked to support Tom as he attended college and later completed her own Bachelor's degree in accounting from Cleveland State University, making both first generation college graduates. Chris also became a passionate advocate for the unborn and dedicated servant to the pro-life cause, initially volunteering at Birthright Cleveland's crisis pregnancy resource center and later becoming a board member at Community Pregnancy Clinics (CPCI) in Naples, Florida. There, she advocated for the establishment of CPCI's second clinic, in Fort Myers, Florida - the first of several new locations that would open during her board tenure. In recent years, she also wrote a book with Lisa, More Than Me , aimed at reassuring young mothers in crisis pregnancies.

Chris' dedication to the pro-life cause was bolstered by a lifelong faith in God, which blossomed fully when she and Tom moved to Florida and Chris earned a Master's degree in Theology from the St. Vincent DePaul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach.

In 2012 Chris and Tom were asked to join The Order of Malta, a lay religious order and one of the oldest institutions of Western and Christian civilization.  In keeping with the Order's charism of serving the sick and the poor while striving to reach spiritual perfection within the Church, she made two pilgrimages to Lourdes to assist acutely ill people seeking healing and began several service projects in the Ft. Myers area, including preparing meals for children at Ronald McDonald House, providing material support for victims of human trafficking and preparing personal care packages for the homeless.

Family, prayer and faith were the pillars of Chris' life. She led with faith and had a pure and strong moral compass, which she worked diligently to pass on. She was a legendary baker and a prayer warrior, constantly offering to pray for anyone she met who was going through a hard time. To know her was to feel loved and supported.

As a dedicated and otherworldly lifelong servant to God, she found a way to touch even the hardest of hearts. She felt called to do God's work even through recent health setbacks and spent her final weeks knitting pocket crosses and a prayer shawl for attendees of an upcoming Lourdes pilgrimage. She was grateful for the faithful support of so many close friends, including the Emmaus prayer group, and for decades of care given by Dr. Lowell Hart.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, March 23, 2025 from 4-6 pm at Gilligan Funeral Home, 8225 Montgomery Road, Cincinnati Ohio 45236. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, March 24 at 11 am at St. Cecilia Church in Oakley with burial immediately following at Gate of Heaven Cemetery and a luncheon reception afterwards.

A Memorial Mass for Chris will be held in Naples, FL on Friday, April 25, 2025 at St. William's Catholic Church, 601 Seagate Drive, Naples, FL 34108 beginning at 9:45am, immediately followed by a light luncheon in the Parish Hall directly behind the church.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Community Pregnancy Clinics in Chris' name.

Community Pregnancy Clinics
Tel: 1-239-734-2035
Email: info@community4Life.com
Web: https://supportcpci.com/