Authorities have identified a woman who was run over and killed along a southeastern Minnesota highway while walking the family dog on Christmas Eve.
Kerrie Hauser, 49, was struck by an SUV about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday as she walked on the shoulder of Hwy. 16 just outside Hauser's hometown of Hokah, according to the State Patrol. The dog also did not survive.
The patrol hasn't identified the driver as the investigation continues.
Hauser was known as a tireless contributor to her community as a volunteer with the International Owl Center in Houston, Minn., and other causes.
Hauser was "one of our star International Festival of Owls volunteers," the center said in a Facebook posting soon after her death. "For years and years, Kerrie volunteered the whole entire festival, blending into the background, setting up, cleaning up, directing people, keeping order in the gym and probably more than we ever knew."
The center also noted that Hauser volunteered at the Houston Public Library, Windy Ridge Therapeutic Riding Center and the Community Church of Hokah.
Hauser graduated from Caledonia High School before enlisting in the Air Force in 1987 and serving for 20 years, according to her online obituary. She worked for the past 15 years with the Army Corps of Engineers in La Crescent, Minn., as a project manager.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
