Marie Carol (Scheidel) Krapp

Definition of matriarch: a woman who is the head of a family or tribe. That certainly describes Marie Krapp – the loving head of an expansive tribe.

She wasn’t simply the mom to five children – Paul, Terri, David, Tom, and Michael – she gathered in others throughout her life that became both short- and long-term members of our extended family. From our spouses – Renee Knight (Paul), Gregg Howe (Terri), Michael Kraley (Terri), Sally Gerth (Tom) and Dahee Hur (Michael) and their children and grandchildren to friends that we brought home from school. Exchange students around the world. Gardening/yard work helpers. Young Mormon elders passing through on their two-year mission. Perfect strangers who made it from the airport or church to her dining room. Marie made them all feel welcome and at home. Some have become life-long friends of our family. She had a saying, “our family is like jello – there’s always room for more.” Marie instilled this strong sense of family and connectedness in each of us. It’s an expectation that we are nice and welcoming to all – harder and harder in this cynical and trust-wary world – but we try.

She taught us all to cook, clean, do laundry, and how to manage our money. In a time when there wasn’t much to go around, she made sure we had a new pair of school/church shoes and a pair of play shoes every year. She saved part of dad’s check every week for 10 years to have enough put aside to pay builders to put up the frame and do the heating and plumbing in our home on Fremont Lake – because, of course, Ken Krapp and the kids could manage the rest – and we did.

Mom also was a powerhouse in Sheridan Township in the 1970s through 1990s – much to the chagrin of local developers at the time – a warm, dependable organizer for various activities at All Saints Church, and a frequent volunteer at True North Community Services.

We all said a grief-filled but loving goodbye to Marie on July 7, 2023. She was immensely proud of hitting that 90-year milestone. Hopefully, she and Kenny (who preceded her in July 2015) are happily hand-in-hand sedately walking together on the other side. She never did like riding on the back of the motorcycle.

According to her wishes, a visitation for friends and family will be held at Kroeze-Wolffis Funeral Home, 637 E. Main, Fremont from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, August 4 (Ken’s birthday). Please come with your best stories. In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift in Marie’s name to True North Community Services, P.O.  Box 149, Fremont, Michigan  49412.

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