Honorable Andrew Allen Krohn, 79, of Princeton, Missouri, passed away due to complications from open heart surgery and kidney disease on December 15, 2023, at NorthCare Hospice House at North Kansas City Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri.
Andy was born to Frank and Margaret (Goodman) Krohn in Kansas City, Missouri, on April 7, 1944. He was raised on the East side of Kansas City, where he graduated from East High School. Andy loved sports, being an All-City and starting quarterback on the football team, and playing in the first televised high school football game in Kansas City. He also started on the basketball team, ran track, and was an All-Star baseball player.
Andy furthered his education at the University of Missouri in Columbia for two years before transferring to the University of Missouri in Kansas City, where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in History.
Andy began working at Mobil Oil in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he met and later married Darlene Mathews in 1968. Their first daughter Jennifer was born in 1968. After transferring to Kansas City with Mobil Oil in 1969, Andy was accepted into Law School at the University of Missouri in Kansas City. He attended night school while working for Mobil Oil and earned his Juris Doctorate Degree in Law in 1970. His son Matthew was born in 1971.
Andy practiced law in the Kansas City area but was drawn to Mercer County, where he enjoyed spending time at his Aunt Vera and Uncle Jack Goodman’s farm northwest of Princeton. After a conversation with Uncle Jack at Calamity Jane Days, Andy decided to move his family to Princeton and join law school friend Ron Barker’s practice. He became the Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Mercer County and engaged in private practice. Daughters Amy and Carrie were born in 1974 and 1976, respectively, and Andy and Darlene raised their four children close to Lake Paho until their divorce.
Andy served 17 years as Prosecuting Attorney for Mercer County and in private practice. He was appointed Associate Circuit Judge of Mercer County in 1992, and after serving for 9 years, was elected Circuit Judge of the 3rd Judicial Circuit in 2000, serving as the Presiding Judge until 2006. Andy started the 3rd Circuit Drug Program as a Circuit Judge in 2000. In 2005, the program received national recognition when Judge Krohn accepted the Sen. Harold Hughes Memorial Award from the National Rural Institute on Alcohol and Drug Abuse at a conference in Menomonie, Wisconsin. He was proud of the Drug Court Program, later referred to as the 3rd Circuit Treatment Court Program. Andy had a Drug Court graduate speak at his retirement reception. He was also proud that during his tenure, the 3rd Judicial Circuit received the Daniel J. O’Toole and Permanency Awards for achieving Case Processing Time Standards Criteria, presented by members of the Missouri Supreme Court. The 3rd Circuit also received awards for the Juvenile Courts over which Andy presided.
In 1985, Andy married widow Connie (Deegan) Renfro, merging their families. Connie adopted Andy’s hobbies of hunting, fishing, and camping. She retired from hunting after harvesting the largest buck ever shot by a family member on their farm. Andy and Connie enjoyed traveling together, often accompanied by Andy’s best friend, Floyd Anderson. They shared a love for music, singing together to their favorite tunes by artists like Roy Orbison and Neil Diamond. Andy was proud of and loved his family, including his children and grandchildren.
Andy was active in his community, serving as a past President of the Princeton Rotary Club. He started the Youth Turkey Calling Contest and initiated the youth football program in Princeton. Andy and Connie attended over 100 of their kids’ ballgames in some years. He enjoyed deer, turkey, and quail hunting, fishing, tying flies for fly fishing, reloading ammunition, reading, watching movies, and following the Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals, and the Mizzou Tigers. He loved teaching his grandkids about hunting and imparting wisdom about life. Andy was also devoted to his Catholic faith, attending Immaculate Heart of Mary in Princeton with Connie.
Andy is survived by his wife, Connie; son Steven Renfro and wife Lila; daughter Jennifer Krohn-Siemer and her son Tyler; daughter Lesley Willson and husband Brad and their children Elizabeth and Zach; son Matthew and his wife Kelly and their children Logan, Lauren, and Landon; daughter Amy Krohn and her partner Karrie and sons Ayden and Eian; daughter Carrie Ebert (Krohn) and husband Chris and their children Connor, Carson, Corigan, and Caden; and son Seth and his wife Melissa and their children Mary Jane, Deegan, Adeline, and Juliana.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers John and wife Marilyn Krohn, and Frank Krohn; sister Jeanne Haynes and her husband James; and Aunt Vera and Uncle Jack Goodman.
Memorial contributions may be made to the 3rd Circuit Treatment Court Program c/o the Roberson Funeral Home, P.O. Box 316, Princeton, MO 64673; or the Community Foundation of Northwest Missouri for the new Russ Derry Sports Complex in Princeton, Missouri, c/o the Roberson Funeral Home or directly at 1006 W. St. Maartens Dr., Suite B, St. Joseph, MO 64506.
Family visitation is scheduled for Wednesday, December 20, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. at Roberson Funeral Home in Princeton, with Holy Rosary prior at 5:45 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday, December 21, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. at Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church, 1728 St. Joseph St., Trenton, MO 64683. A graveside service will follow at Pleasant Ridge Church Cemetery, four miles northwest of Princeton on State Route P.
