Servatius, Olive

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• Reference Number: 327

Olive — Kraus, Joseph F.. Joseph (son of Kraus, Joseph and Gehring, Emma) was born 23 Dec 1896, Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA; died 17 Nov 1992, Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA; was buried , Rienzi Cemetery, Fond Du Lac, Fond Du Lac County, Wisconsin. [Group Sheet]

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• Reference Number: 327
• Obituary: 28 Sep 2010; Appleton Post Crescent

Notes:

Obituary:
Joseph J. Kraus, son of Joseph F. and Olive H. Kraus, was born May 13, 1923 in the Town of Black Creek, WI. Residing in Wisconsin during childhood in the cities of Appleton, Stevens Point, and Merrill where his father was a principal and educator in the school systems. He was the oldest of seven children with a family of three brothers, Dave (Margaret) Kraus, Leroy Kraus, and James Lincoln Kraus and three wonderful sisters, Eunice (Bob) Atkins, Carol (Jim) VanDen Heuvel and Rose Sheldon.
Joseph enlisted in the Army during WWII and became a Staff Sergeant in the Motor Pool, where his love of cars made him feel at home. He served in both the European and Pacific Theaters; earning a Bronze Star during deployment. He had many amusing stories to share about his military days.Coming back home, he enrolled at the General Motors Institute where he graduated with honors. He was then employed by GM Buick Motor Division as a writer for technical and service manuals. This is where he met his love and wife, Helene A. Nowak.
After a few years of living in Flint, Michigan, they decided to move to New York — due to a job offer by "Motor" Magazine. This complimented his love for cars again, allowing him to report on early sports car races and drive many of the first European sports cars imported to American soil. He passed this enthusiasm to his son, Joseph J. Jr., born in 1954 in White Plains, NY. Joe and Helene decided that the "rat race" of the big city was getting to be too much and they should be closer to family in Wisconsin and Michigan. So back west to Wisconsin they headed, settling in Appleton. Joseph secured a job at the Neenah Foundry Company with a position in National and World sales, where he worked for many years.
In 1964, his family built a new home in Neenah, where Joe resided until present. He became interested in politics and won the election for ninth ward Alderman for the City of Neenah. This later led to the position of "Director of Administration" for the City of Neenah, which he retired from in the mid 1980's.
Joe was a wonderful husband, father, and provider — sharing his time and many interests with Helene and "J". He has owned many "vintage" vehicles along with Camaros, Porsches, and Corvettes; restoring and driving them, only to sell one and buy another. He was always full of surprises and acted on making his ideas and dreams come to reality.
Joe was preceded in death by his loving wife, Helene in 2000, and by his brothers, James Lincoln in 1933 and "Roy" in 2008.
He is survived by his brother, Dave and his three sisters, Eunice, Carol, and Rose, along with numerous nieces and nephews and by his son, "J" who is grateful he had a father like Joe and tries to live up to the ideals and values instilled by him. You will be missed, Dad! We love you!
Funeral services for Joseph J. Kraus will be held on Thursday, September 30, 2010 at St. Margaret MaryCatholic Church, 620 Division St, Neenah, WI. Visitation will take place from 9 a.m. until the time of the Service at 11 a.m., with burial to follow at St. Margaret Cemetery.
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Read more: http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20100928/APC010301/9280531/1007#ixzz10qtqqXqZ