Pilot killed in plane crash identified as beloved Dearborn community leader

Pilot killed in crash remembered as pillar of Dearborn community

Kevin Kreger is being remembered as a loving father, husband, and chiropractor in Dearborn.

DEARBORN, Mich (FOX 2) - Kevin Kreger is being remembered Tuesday as a loving father, husband, and chiropractor in Dearborn, while the community mourns.

"He was humble, he was confident, he was passionate, he cared," said Alex Grignon.

Kreger died Monday in a plane crash in Washtenaw County, where he was teaching a student to be a pilot.

The student was taken to the hospital in critical condition, while Kreger died at the scene.

"And yesterday was his oldest daughter’s birthday - it adds to the heartbreak," said Grignon. "Every couple minutes you think about what they’re going through, how they are feeling, and what their night was like. That just tugs your heartstrings and you just wish there was something you could do for them."

Alex Grignon says Kreger was passionate, caring — and a role model for his community. Grignon is the coach of Dearborn High School's football team — and has known Kreger since he was a kid.

"Always positive, always passionate, always caring," Grignon said. "At our middle school track meets the last couple months, he was the guy hopping the fence to help volunteer and take times, coaching people up, and giving them encouragement."

Kevin Kreger’s name is still well known here at Dearborn High School. Back in the 1990s he was a legend. captain, quarterback and his team went undefeated and unscored upon.

Kevin Kreger was a Dearborn prep football legend and all-state star for the Pioneers in the mid-1990s.

"And it just kind of foreshadowed his life," Grignon said. "Everything he did he was good at, because he did it with the right attitude, the right intent and he did it the right way," he said.

In college Kreger went on to Hillsdale where he played both football - and basketball.

Grignon says Kreger even coached him when he was a freshman. The lessons he shared with his community — were true to heart.

"Like I told our team today, the best thing we can do to honor him is to do what he would do - be great to each other and do the best for ourselves in everything we do, throughout the day," he said.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.