Kruger was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, on June 26, 1914, as the eldest of Vernon and Luella Dierks Andrews's four daughters. Her cousin, Carl Rohman, acclaimed supporter of the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, remembers her being a very confident young woman. Prior to the Depression, she was exposed to a high level of living. She was a passionate reader, especially on the subjects of interior design and miniature collecting. She graduated from Lincoln High in 1932 and enrolled at the University of Nebraska. She only attended until 1934 because she wanted to help support her mother and sisters after her father abandoned the family for another woman. She lived with her aunt and uncle to help her three sisters pay for college, all of whom graduated. She married Carl Kruger in 1939, and soon after became interested in miniature figures.