William L. Kraus, 70, of Ludington and Salome, AZ passed away on Monday, September 14th. William, son of the late Vernon and Edna Kraus, was born on January 21, 1945 in Bay City, Michigan. William loved life and was not ready to leave this world. His family grieves his tragic passing and cherishes memories of all their shared passions and adventures. William attended Mason County Central, class of 1962. He earned a BS in Mathematics with a Minor in Physics from Central Michigan University. William later attended the University of Illinois where he achieved a Masters in Mathematics Plus 40. He retired from Ludington Public Schools where he inspired countless students. While a teacher at Ludington High School, William was very active in multiple youth sports including coaching JV football and track. He also served as time-keeper for basketball and judged wrestling. In addition, William generously shared his time and talents with the community. He did construction, either building or remodeling over 100 structures in the area. He led a team of coach volunteers in building the original second story of the press box at Oriole Field. William belonged to the Ludington Boat Club where he once served as Commodore. His help in designing and building the clubhouse and cook shack was invaluable. He supported the Hospice Benefit Fish Fry/Boil for all of its 27 years, especially the collection and cleaning of the fish. Furthermore, William was a member of Lincoln Hills for many years and won Club Handicap Champion in 1998. He was a sportsman who enjoyed many outdoor activities including hunting, fishing, hiking and riding ATVs. With his wife Kathryn he enjoyed traveling throughout the United States and they had visited 49 states. Plans were in place to visit their 50th state, Alaska. William is survived by his loving spouse of 52 years, Kathryn Marie née Campeau; three daughters, Denise Barron-Kraus of Ada, Susan (Donald) Beery of Hudsonville and Sandra (Charles) Templeton of Columbus, OH; four grandchildren, Kyle and Drew Barron-Kraus and Alexandra and Nicholas Beery; five brothers, Vernon (Loretta) of Yuma, AZ, Robert of Pahoa, HI, Thomas (June) of Eaton Rapids, Rick (Deb) of Holland and Randy (Vickie) of Traverse City; sister-in-law Rose of Silver Springs, FL; many in-laws, nieces, nephews and dear friends. He was preceded in death by his brother Terry. The family is having a private funeral. A celebration of Bill’s life will be held at a future date. In lieu of flowers please donate to the Ludington Education Association Scholarship c/o Community Foundation for Mason County PO Box 10, Ludington, MI 49431, 231-845-0326 which William helped to establish in 1983. Please feel free to share a photo or a memory with Bill’s family at www.oakgrovefh.com. The family has entrusted funeral arrangements with Oak Grove Funeral Home and Cremation Center.
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William Kraus
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