WILLIAM P. KRAUS 1926-2003

KRAUS, BEOHM, MILLER, LEYTEM, SPRINGER, FENNO, FICKEN, CARR, JACOBS, BASETICH, ERHART, PHILLIPS, MCGIRK

Posted By: Mary Durr (email)
Date: 1/3/2004 at 15:58:59

William P. Kraus

Telegraph Herald - Oct 24, 2003

William P. "Bill" Kraus, 77, of Stonehill Care Center, formerly of 839 Air Hill St., died at 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2003, at the care center, after a courageous battle against Parkinson's Disease.

Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Nativity Catholic Church. Burial will be in St. John's Cemetery, Placid, rural Epworth, Iowa, where military rites will be accorded by the American Legion Dubuque Post 6. Friends may call from 3 to 8 p.m. today at Egelhof Siegert & Casper Westview Funeral Home, 2659 Kennedy Road, where there will be a Nativity Parish wake service at 4 p.m.

Mr. Kraus retired from Zephyr Aluminum Products as office manager and prior to that, he was associated with Schlueter Insurance Agency and American Trust & Savings Bank.

He was born on Jan. 23, 1926. His parents were Peter and Mildred Kraus. His childhood summers were fondly spent with his beloved Carr family in Cascade, Iowa.

He attended St. Mary's grade school and was a graduate of the former Loras Academy where he was a member of the Loras Academy Boxing team.

He married the former Gertrude A. Beohm on May 14, 1947, at Nativity Catholic Church; she preceded him in death on Aug. 7, 2000.

A veteran of World War II, Bill served with the Army Air Force and was a member of the American Legion Dubuque Post 6. He also was a member of Nativity Parish where he served as Treasurer of the Nativity Holy Name Society, Dubuque Council 510 Knights of Columbus and was a volunteer at Mercy Medical Center.

Words cannot describe the unconditional love and devotion Bill gave to his wife, children and grandchildren. His gentle and kind spirit touched the lives of many and will live on through his loved ones.

Surviving are three sons, William (Pam) Kraus, of Galena, Ill., and Stephen (Bev) Kraus and Thomas (Becky) Kraus, both of Dubuque; five daughters, Margaret Miller, of St. Paul, Minn., Maureen (Joe) Leytem and Dr. Jane (Ben) Springer, both of Dubuque, Mary (Eric) Fenno, of Fairbanks, Ala., and Theresa (Dave) Ficken, of Palo, Iowa; 22 grandchildren; brothers, John (Charlene) Kraus, of Dubuque, and James (Karen) Kraus, of Cuba City, Wis.; Carr relatives, Marge Jacobs and Dolly Basetich, both of Downers Grove, Ill., and Sister Betty Carr, RSN, of Montana; and sisters-in-law, Marjorie (Vince) Erhart, of Dubuque, Relda Phillips, of Worthington, Iowa, and Leona (Don) McGirk, of Rockford, Ill.

He also was preceded in death by grandchildren, baby Caleb and baby Samuel Kraus; and his parents.

The family extends a heartfelt thank-you to the loving staff of Stonehill Care Center, Hospice of Dubuque and the doctors and nurses who cared for Bill.