Frankenmuth

18 As a well-earned tribute to a local leader, the words at the top of the Star of the West silo scrolled the news of his passing... Richard Krafft Jr. 1929-2020. The message towered over the community as large as the impact of the man whose business, civic, church and community leadership significantly changed Frankenmuth. Richard (Dick) Krafft Jr., 90, passed away on May 22, 2020 at Covenant Glen. Although Covid-19 restrictions kept all but family from his funeral service, memories are vivid of his accomplishments and his influence. Retired City Manager Charlie Graham said it was a struggle to put his thoughts about Krafft into words because he had so much respect for him. Krafft was a member of the first City Council from 1959 to 1979 and then mayor until 1985. "It is hard to summarize it all. He was so dedicated to doing what was right and best for the community. He had a practical approach to getting things done and could usually figure things out when no one else could. The man was a genius with pencil and paper." Aside from his work ethic to get more and more and even more work done, his personality made an impression. "Dick was humble, yet he was very outgoing," Graham said. "He treated all people the same. He could talk to a farmer, a tourist on the street, or the President of the United States." Krafft was born and raised in Frankenmuth. He began a clerk's job at the Star of the West Milling Company at the age of 17 in 1947. His credentials were a high school diploma that included a single bookkeeping class. He married Mary Ann Keller in 1951 and they had three sons. In 1953, he was promoted to manager of the company with six years of experience. During the next 44 years, he went on to lead the corporation to unprecedented growth and success. Although he often joked that he never got another promotion, he later was named President and Treasurer. He retired in 1997. Then, he became Chairman of the Board and a trusted advisor to the next generation of company leaders until 2014. In all, he worked at Star of the West for 67 years. Art Loeffler, Krafft's successor as Star of the West President from 1997-2018, said Krafft's mind was quicker than a calculator. "He had so much business acumen and picked up so much from reading. If you talked to him you would have thought he had an MBA." In addition to his good business sense, Jim Howe, current Star of the West president, agreed with Graham that Krafft's people skills made him an ideal boss. "He had integrity and was honest," said Howe who was hired by Krafft as an intern while Remembering a "Star" By Joan Ramm "He treated all people the same. He could talk to a farmer, a tourist on the street, or the President of the United States."

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