DEARBORN, Mich. (WXYZ) — Dr. Kevin Kreger had a beautiful life. The married father of two girls, ages 12 and 14, was also close to his parents, sister, and brother, as well as their spouses and children.
They all remained deeply rooted in the Dearborn community where Kreger was a chiropractor and a living legend in area sports in which he played and coached over the years.
But Monday devastation struck when Kreger, who was also a flight instructor, died in a plane crash in Washtenaw County.
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Kreger was with one of his students, a 22-year-old man from North Carolina who is also a student at the University of Michigan.
The NTSB is now investigating the crash of the Piper fixed-wing, single-engine plane registered to Silvered Wings in Howell.
"We're waiting to hear what actually went wrong," said Kevin's brother, CJ Kreger. "I'm just hoping and we're praying that his student makes it through."
CJ said their tight-knit family is leaning on their faith and the support of so many friends who have wrapped their arms around them as they grieve the loss of Kevin.
"It comes and goes in waves," CJ said. "It's hard to imagine your hero not being there, you know? Your best friend, your brother, someone that always took care of you and looked out for you."
Dearborn High School's head football coach Alex Grignon said Kevin Kreger began making a lasting impact on him when he was just a freshman playing football with Kreger as one of his coaches.
"I had known about the Kregers a long time," Grignon said of the stories he'd hear about the Kregers as great athletes. But he said it was knowing Kevin Kreger that he began to see why he also stood out as a great leader.
"Athletics is one thing. The person he was is what has left everybody devastated," Grignon said. "It's the type of person he was. Not his job or career or anything he did in his spare time. It was just how he treated people is the legacy he left."
CJ Kreger said that as great of an athlete his brother was, his role as a husband, father, son, brother, and friend surpassed it all. He said, "No matter who he met, everyone always walked away a better person."
