JAMES KRAUS

James Edward Kraus, age 63, passed away at home on Wednesday, February 25, 2009, surrounded by his loving family after a short, courageous battle with cancer. He was born on December 26, 1945 in Neenah to the late Alois (Whitey) and Della (Westphal) Kraus. Jim married his high school sweetheart, Darlene (Prentice) Kraus on October 02, 1965. They were blessed with two wonderful children, Cheryl Renee Peters (Jeff) and Bryan Edward Kraus (Lisa) who gave Jim his pride and joy " his grandchildren " Cecilia and Caroline Kraus, and McKinna and Hudson Peters. Jim was a medical corpsman in the Army stationed in Oahu, Hawaii. After his years of service in the Army, he was a firefighter with the Menasha Fire Department for 27 years retiring in 1996. Jim loved spending time at the cottage up north with his family and friends. He enjoyed the outdoors and was an avid hunter and fisherman. Jim loved working in the woods and sitting around the campfire. One of the highlights of the year was his annual family Fourth of July fireworks display at the cottage. Along with his loving family, he is also survived by two sisters: Beverly (Joseph) Wilfling and Mary (Gary) Kostrzak, nephews David (Diane) Wilfling and children: Dustin and Devon, James (Traci) Seidling and their children: Robert, Adam, and Christopher, and Daniel (Delores) Seidling and their children: Marina, Tonya and Shayla, and his stepsister, Sue (Don) Wallow. Jim was preceded in death by his mother, Della Knudson, his brother, Robert Kraus, his stepbrother James Barbeau, stepfathers Frank Barbeau and Elery Knudson. Avery special thanks to Jims good friend, Richard Winkers, who never left his side throughout his illness. A time of remembrance and sharing about Jim will be on Saturday, February 28, 2009, 3:00 p.m. at Menashas Westgor Funeral Home. Visitation will begin Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at the funeral home. I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other. Then someone at my side says: There, she is gone! Gone where? Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port. Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at that moment when someone at my side says: There, she is gone! there are other eyes watching her coming and other voices ready to take up the glad shout: Here she comes! And that is dying.