He was born on March 27, 1924 to Max and Anna Krueger, in Stettin, Germany where he grew up with his older brother Edgar. There he was trained in furniture and cabinet making and developed the skills of working with his hands that served him for the rest of his life. He also took up an interest in flying, one of the great fascinations of his life. He emigrated to the United States in 1950 after the Second World War, and took over his uncle’s commercial drapery business in New York with his brother, and the two of them ran it successfully for nearly 40 years. At one time, they were the only people who could hang an Austrian Shade in America and they also got to travel the whole country when Dobesch Associates got a contract to build movie theatre frames for the U.S. Army and the job they did in Fayetteville at Fort Bragg was his first visit to North Carolina.
He married his wife Doris on October 22, 1960 and they had a loving marriage for 55 years until her death in 2015. He was also a long time member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Brooklyn, Our Savior Lutheran Church in Mineola, New York, where he served as a deacon. He also taught Sunday school at both parishes. Also a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, West Hempstead, New York, and Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Clayton, North Carolina. For many years he volunteered for Meals on Wheels and was very generous in supporting many diverse charities over the course of his life.
He once built his own telescope and his own catamaran sailboat, and he enjoyed sailing on Long Island. He also sang in the Arion Society, a German folk music group for a few years in the early sixties, performing with them one time in Manhattan’s Carnegie Hall. His love of music came from his Uncle Erich, a music teacher, who taught him to play the violin and he enjoyed Beethoven and Mozart and Schubert all his life.
He is survived by his son Erich, daughters, Lisa (Kenny) Miller, Erika; grandchildren Kenny Jr., Kaylyn and Emily, and great grandson Avery.
A visitation for Max will be held Tuesday, June 14, 2022 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at McLaurin Funeral Home Chapel. A funeral service will occur Wednesday, June 15, 2022 at 2:00 PM at Holy Cross Lutheran Church. A burial will be at Pinecrest Memorial Park, Clayton, NC 27520.
