Everybody on Dwayne Kriegel's mail route liked the letter carrier, his daughter said.

Kriegel, 58, died Tuesday. A wasp stung him in the hand multiple times after he reached into a mailbox during his normal mail route in central Iowa last week. His family said he should be remembered for his ability to make friends with anybody and everybody.

His wife, Tammy Kriegel, said she hopes her husband's death will bring awareness to the danger of wasps, especially to those unaware that they or their child has an allergy.

"We just don't want anyone else to have to go through what we have gone through," she said. "You never think when you get up in the morning that you're never going to see him again alive."

Dwayne Kriegel was hired as a mail carrier in 1985, spurring a party, his wife said, to celebrate the start of a career that would intertwine him into the Grinnell community over the next three decades.

Tammy Kriegel said people on his mail route would give him cold water, birthday cards and other goods.

He was akin to a local celebrity, said his daughter, Ashley Kriegel-Diedrick, of Humboldt. Community members would approach her knowing who she was, though they were strangers. A proud father, Dwayne Kreigel would boast about his children's accomplishments during his route.

His son, Kelley Kriegel, eventually joined him at the Postal Service as a clerk.

Ashley Kriegel-Diedrick said he could tell you the life stories of the people he delivered to.

"He built rapport with everybody," she said. "Other than family, he cared most about his job."

He eventually became a proud grandfather, never missing a sporting event or band event for his three grandchildren. Ashley Kriegel-Diedrick said his grandchildren are devastated, though she is happy her children's last memories of her father were spent at the Iowa State Fair.

"He loved kids, and he spoiled my children rotten, and as much as I always hated it, it's something I'm going to miss," she said.

She recalled her father wrestling with her son and attending her daughter's tumbling competitions, "cheering louder than anyone else."

Unable to use his EpiPen, hidden from street view

Dwayne Kriegel called his wife after he was stung while delivering mail on Aug. 22. He was only a couple of blocks away, so she called 911 and then searched frantically.

Officials believe Dwayne Kriegel was unable to open his EpiPen, Tammy Kriegel said, which was pulled out next to him when she and officials found him. She said people were outside at the time, but he was hidden from street view.

He didn't have a pulse when emergency personnel got to him, his wife said. Someone at the scene shouted, "He's gone," she said, causing her to fall to the ground, overcome with emotions.

Electric shock revived him as he was airlifted to a hospital, but he had been without oxygen for 12 to 14 minutes. An MRI scan on Monday showed irreversible brain damage.

Dwayne Kriegel's past wishes led the family to take him off of life support and he died Tuesday. His organs will be donated.

"He had expressed to his family that if he couldn't sustain life, he had no use for his parts. He wanted them to help someone else," Tammy Kriegel said, encouraging people to become donors.

Beneficial ecologically, dangerous sting

The common wasp, or "social wasp," has annual colonies, starting in April with a single queen and reaching its peak in autumn, so this is the time of year to be most cautious, said Donald Lewis, an entomology professor at Iowa State University.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an average of 62 people died each year from hornet, wasp or bee sting from 2000 to 2017 in the U.S, making these deaths rare in comparison to other hazards, Lewis said.

Though working outside comes with a risk, there are still ways to stay safe.

Lewis said to be alert especially near a wasp hive, the most likely place to be stung. He also said avoiding perfumes and scented soaps and deodorants is recommended. Those who don't know whether they are allergic should see an allergist. Finally, people with an allergy should carry medication, such as an EpiPen, to diminish symptoms.

Eliminating flowering plants from certain areas may diminish the amount of contact with bees, though Lewis said wasps aren't typically abundant near flowers.

"It's the wasp nest that we worry about, and some of those are high up in the eaves of our house, some of them in holes in the ground ... or under or inside your mail box," Lewis said. "Eliminating nests early on would be as practical as eliminating flowers."

Wasps provide plenty of benefits, especially for gardens, by eating flies and caterpillars.

"We are kind of stuck between a beneficial insect that we want to encourage and the potential of being stung," Lewis said. "Somewhere in the middle we find a workable solution so that we can enjoy gardens and reduce risk at the same time."

For those who decide to get rid of their nests, Lewis recommended wasp and hornet spray with low toxicity and insecticide that shoots 10 to 15 feet, applied to the nests at night.

U.S. Postal Service spokeswoman Kristy Anderson said local offices will also call customers to remind them to take care of wasp nests or other dangers to their employees.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health recommends employers train employees on their risk of exposure, insect identification, exposure prevention and how to react when stung.

A celebration of life will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Grinnell Christian Church. Tammy Kriegel said she and Dwayne planned to attend the Iowa State football opener, which will take place during the funeral service. Since he was a huge Cyclone fan, there will be game updates during the service.

"He was the most giving, caring, loving person. He loved life, he loved to live it, he lived every moment," Tammy Kriegel said.

Danielle Gehr is a breaking news reporter at the Des Moines Register. She can be reached by email at dgehr@dmreg.com, by phone at 515-284-8367 or on Twitter at @Dani_Gehr.

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