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Longtime Ohio Jeweler Gary Krauss Dies at 100
The World War II veteran owned Hofman-Green Jewelers in Springfield and was a director of the Ohio Jewelers Association.
Springfield, Ohio—Gerald (Gary) Martin Krauss, a World War II veteran and longtime owner of Hofman-Green Jewelers in Ohio, died Oct. 24. He was 100.
Born July 22, 1918, Krauss was the son of Anna Reich Krauss and David Krauss, who owned Krauss Jewelers and later Hofman-Green Jewelers, of Springfield, Ohio.
Stationed in Chicago, Krauss trained as a Norden bombsight and instrument panel expert.
It was while living in the Windy City that he met his future wife, Bonita (Bonnie) Strauss, and the two married in March 1943 following a brief courtship.
Six months later, his unit was deployed to Thetford, England, where he served for the remainder of World War II achieving the rank of sergeant.
In December 1946, he returned to Springfield, later joining Hofman-Green, which his father David had bought when he was overseas.
Krauss became the owner and manager of the store and held that position for 37 years, becoming an American Gem Society Registered Jeweler (RJ) in 1971 and serving as the director of the Ohio Jewelers Association.
After he retired, Krauss and wife Bonnie split their time between Springfield and West Palm Beach, Florida.
He remained an avid tennis player into his 80s. Other hobbies and interests included travel—he and Bonnie visited 42 countries on four continents together—the arts and education. He and his wife established the Krauss Family Scholarship Foundation at Wittenberg University in Springfield.
He also was a Paul Harris Fellow at the Springfield Rotary Club, a member of The Kissel Masonic Lodge and a lifelong member of Temple Sholom.
Krauss was preceded in death by Bonnie, who died in 2004.
He is survived by his three sons and daughters-in-law—David and his wife Amy; Richard and his wife Anna; and Philip and his wife Lori—and four grandchildren, Benjamin, Rebekah, Leah and David.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Temple Sholom, the Krauss Family Scholarship at Wittenberg University or a charity of the donator’s choice.
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