Kenneth "Kenn" Krause

Kenneth Eugene Krause passed away on April 24, 2023, at his Traverse City, Michigan home after a courageous battle with Lymphoma. Kenn was born on October 6, 1951, to Eugene and Jean Ann Krause of Roseville, Minnesota. He graduated from Alexander Ramsey High School in 1969 and went on to attend St. Cloud State until he enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1971. He went back to school to earn his undergraduate (University of Minnesota) and masters (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University) degrees, allowing him to move from enlisted to officer status. Kenn retired from the Air Force in 1997 at the rank of Major and with a very esteemed career that included extended tours in Korea, and also in Saudi Arabia during Operation Southern Watch. His many roles of service included B-52G Maintenance Supervisor at Wurtsmith AFB; command of the 312th Field Training Detachment at Barksdale, AFB; directed the Organizational Maintenance Squadron’s B-1B Bomber unit at Grand Forks AFB, and finished at Offutt AFB as the 1st Airborne Command Control Squadron Maintenance Officer supporting the "Doomsday Planes," otherwise known as the "Nightwatch" aircraft, designed to keep the government operating and act as mobile command centers in case of a disaster. He retired after 24 years of service to our country. Kenn had an appreciation for the great outdoors stemming from involvement in the Boy Scouts, where he earned Eagle Scout status and traveled to jamborees across the United States. He was an accomplished cross country runner in high school and college, and completed multiple marathons as an adult. He found peace and joy in nature; enjoying camping, RVing, kayaking, and hiking in many of our 50 states. When noticing a stunning sunset or a unique flower along the trail, he would always say, “You’ve gotta notice things like that.” Later in life, he was inspired by his wife Barb’s passion for swimming and joined the North Coast Masters Swim Club as well as becoming a swim instructor for youth and adults. He was an avid Minnesota sports fan cheering on his alma mater Gophers, and never jumped off the Vikings or Minnesota Twins bandwagons. Kenn will be remembered for his determination to do things to the best of his ability, his great–at times goofy–sense of humor, his desire to spread smiles everywhere he went, and his commitment to doing the right thing at the right moment. Kenn is survived by his wife, Barbara (Zutaut); his former wife Debra (Holm) Krause and their two children, Heather Schaaf (Brenden) and Tammy Sterken (Eric), grandchildren Riley, Shelby, Blake, and Sydney, and twin brother, Keith Krause (Karen), sister-in-law Laura Gee (Kris), and niece and nephews. Kenn was preceded in death by his parents, brother Bruce (Deborah), sister Kim, and his in-laws Mary and Willis Zutaut. Services will be held at a later date with interment at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minnesota. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to https://friendsofsleepingbear.org/donate-now, a national lakeshore area we enjoyed as a family or https://www.gtrlc.org/donate/memorial-gift/ to preserve land in the Grand Traverse area for recreation.

Kenneth "Kenn" Krause

October 6, 1951 - April 24, 2023