Liselotte Kraus

Liselotte Katharina Kraus, known affectionately as Lisa, passed away peacefully at her home on March 4, 2026, at the age of 98. Born on August 13, 1927, in the small village of Steinenbach, Germany, to Anna Maria and Alois Marquart, she carried her deep faith and devotion to family throughout her long life. From an early age, simple moments with her mother—riding on the front of her bicycle to a nearby town, pausing at a wayside cross to pray and share a sweet snack—remained among her most cherished memories.

Liselotte trained as a teacher in Germany during the Second World War, instructing first through fourth grades as a student teacher before being transferred to teach first grade in a school where all eight grades had separate rooms. She loved teaching and had hoped to make it her lifelong profession. Sponsored by her mother’s cousin, a Franciscan brother and architect for the Franciscan Order, she later traveled aboard the Queen Mary to New York. There she worked first in his office and then in the payroll division of the McCann-Erickson advertising agency.

In New York she met Joseph Kraus. After a period of friendship, she returned briefly to Germany before moving back to the United States with her parents’ blessing. Liselotte and Joe became engaged shortly after her return and were married on July 3, 1954, at St. James ProCathedral in Brooklyn. They settled on Long Island, where they welcomed their daughter, Anna Maria, and son, Richard. The family later moved into a new home and in 1976 relocated to Lake Havasu City.

Lisa and Joe shared a loving marriage of 63 years filled with joy, family, and lasting friendships. A woman of strong faith, she gave thanks to God daily for her blessings. Her warm smile could light up a room, and she found great pleasure in the outdoors, tending her yard and taking walks. She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Joe.

Lisa is survived by her daughter, Anna Maria (Michael) Grahn, her son, Richard Kraus, five grandsons—Andrew, Matthew, Nicholas, Ryan, and Max—and eleven great-grandchildren.