“I’m going to be 95” was his usual greeting, then when you stated he didn’t look that old, he’d say, “You didn’t let me finish. I’ll be 95 in 13 more years.” Actually being 82-3/4, Dennis passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in Mesa, AZ on Friday, Jan 31st.
Born April 17, 1942 to Willard and Frances Krause on the edge of the City of Appleton’s south side, with woods and fields as his back yard, he was truly an “outdoors person.” With two older sisters and one older brother, his father built their cement block basement, intending to finish the upstairs ‘shortly’ (which didn’t happen the entire time Denny lived at home.) Living in the basement, he often claimed he thought he was a member of the gopher family.
“Dennis the Menace” as he referred to himself in later years, attended Sacred Heart Catholic Grade School, McKinley Junior High and graduated from Appleton (West) High School in Spring 1960.
With many neighborhood kids to play with, and pop-up baseball games at all times of the day, Denny learned to become independent at an early age. Realizing if he wanted nice clothing instead of ‘hand me downs’ or anything extra — he would need to earn his own money. He was thankful for brother Larry who often handed off his old jobs of shoveling snow, delivering newspapers, later on helping at the nearby Wittman farm making hay and doing chores; to eventually setting pins at the bowling alley and finally working full time for Elm Tree Bakery throughout high school.
Denny joined the Army after High School but was honorably discharged from Fort Lenardwood one day before his completion of 3 month boot camp because of a medical operation he needed. So, back to Appleton where he worked the required months to qualify for health insurance in order to get the operation. The Doc said, a few more months and he would have lost a kidney.
In 1962 he met and married Margaret Wegener, and settled down to have 4 children on a shoestring budget. He first worked at American Can Paper Mill in Menasha; then landed a position on the Appleton Fire Department May 8, 1967 (again, thanks to brother Larry) and retired April 27th, 1995. Picking up extra money by washing windows and painting houses, the strain of not enough attention paid to wife and kids caused a divorce in 1973.
Enjoying his bachelorhood for 8 years, until meeting and marrying Gail J. Ramthun Nov. 7, 1981; Dennis continued his hobbies of downhill skiing (with Gail and kids), bowling – achieving a 300 game during league, hunting to acquire trophy white tail deer; and out of state, elk, moose and caribou. Then his interests turned to flying … ultralight airplanes (one-seater, open cockpit vehicles that he built himself) culminating in flying his plane into EAA in Oshkosh for several years. Eventually, Corvette cars were added to his list of accomplishments. In 1994 his dream of owning a 1958 restored Corvette (Cora) with all correctly numbered parts helped him win the Triple Crown Award, consisting of a first at the National Corvette Restorer Society’s Regional and then National Award, the Bloomington Gold and finally the Triple Crown.
Gail’s love of travel took the couple to Hawaii, Alaska, Yugoslavia, Russia, South Africa, Beijing and Hong Kong in China, several cruises and ended in 2005 with a 2-month trip to Australia and New Zealand. Starting in 2001, the couple would vacation in Phoenix, Arizona, ending up purchasing a home in Mesa, AZ where they wintered for the past 15 years.
Dennis loved fishing at the cottage so he could eat fresh fish; teasing his Mother-in-law about beating her at cards; and making other people laugh by kidding, telling jokes, or sneaking up behind a person to scare them (as with Gail, touching one strand of hair to see if she could feel it.)
Preceding Dennis were his parents, all three of his sisters, Angela (Donald) Perrine, Karen Krause and Tina Hasslehurst and one brother, James Krause, and sister-in-law Marla Krause, Dean’s wife. Remaining are his two brothers and families, Lawrence (Sharon) Krause, Appleton and Dean Krause, Berlin; wife Gail, Greenville; and children Tim (Kris), Appleton; Terry, Rome, WI, Toby (Laura) Winter Gardens, FL and daughter Tammy Fredrick, fiancée Toni Bast, Appleton; and three grandchildren, Morgan and Mitch Krause and Maxwell Fredrick.
A Celebration of Life will be held in late Spring or early Summer in the Fox River Valley, WI.
Arrangements by Bunker’s University Chapel, www.bunkerfuneral.com. Should this obituary appear anywhere but bunkerfuneral.com, please check our website for accurate details and service information.
Tammy. I am so sorry for the loss of your Dad. I remember him when you were friends with Melisa. With prayers and deepest sympathy to you and your family.
From going to high school with Denny and then later he and Peggy (first wife) lived in our apartment on Little Lake Butte Des Morts, it was so interesting to read of his life adventures — from growing up to over the many years in between, Denny had a great “95” years! Lots of memories — may his wife and the “kids” have lots of great memories to cherish of Denny! God bless!