Edmund Krause, 86, beloved husband, father, brother and zayde, passed away peacefully at home on October 14.
Born in Pittsburgh and raised there and in Queens, he received his BA in Education and MA in Administration from Brooklyn College. Following graduation, he served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, until his honorable discharge in 1953.
His intrinsic love of children, teaching and learning led him to begin his career as a teacher at Matlin Junior High in Plainview, NY. From there, he moved into administration as an assistant principal at Mannetto Hill School. Edmund was offered his first principalship in 1971, and spent 21 years as an adored elementary school principal in the South Orange-Maplewood School District, serving South Mountain Elementary for nine years, Jefferson Elementary for three, and Marshall Elementary for nine.
He brought an unparalleled zest for education, and innovated numerous programs and traditions which continued long after his retirement, including his famous joke assemblies and the character of Captain Health, who taught children the basics of good hygiene through sketch and song. He spent weekends teaching Hebrew School at Congregation Beth Chaim in West Windsor, NJ, of which he was a founding member.
Although he retired from full-time work in 1991, he spent the next 20 years continuing to do what he loved, spending years as an interim principal in numerous school districts and as an Assistant Superintendent of the Princeton, NJ school district. He eventually slowed down in his early 80s, after several years of supervising student teachers for Rider University.
Ed also had a creative soul, and though he was an accomplished artist and devotee of classical music, he turned his love of the arts to acting and directing. After honing his skills in many productions at Brooklyn College, he went on to stage legendary and lavish elementary school productions such as the “Pirates of Penzance” and “Guys and Dolls” as well as starring in local community theater productions, notably playing the lead role of Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof,” and directing shows such as “Gaslight.”
Edmund is survived by his wife of 50 years, Anne, of Somerset, NJ, two sons, Eric (Susan) of East Windsor, NJ and Michael (Karen) of Maplewood, NJ, and two daughters, Julia Krause of New York, NY and Stephanie Verges (Phil) of Brooklyn, NY. His is also survived by six loving grandchildren, Jacob, Ally, Jenna, Mac, Mia and Asher, and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother, Rabbi Jay Krause of San Francisco.
Ed’s family invites the community to share memories and thought about Ed in the Guest Book at Bernheim Apter Krieitzman here: https://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Edmund-Krause&lc=4269&pid=181969497&mid=7127564
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