Benno Kraus, age 86, of Marytown, died peacefully on December 17, 2014. He was born on June 1, 1928 in Mt. Calvary, to the late Edward & Anna (Schaefer) Kraus. He attended Holy Cross Grade School in Mt. Calvary. On September 2, 1950, he married Betty Karls at St. Mary's Church in Marytown. Together they farmed for many years. He enjoyed life, especially spending time with family and friends. He looked forward to the many family gatherings. He was a member of St. Mary's Parish in Marytown along with the Holy Name Society. Survivors include his wife, Betty; children Tom (Deb) Kraus of Marytown; Gerald (Mary) Kraus of Marytown; Judy (Wayne) Thome of St. Anna; David (Stacy) Kraus of Plymouth; Ann (Jens) Streckel of Pensacola, Florida; Richard (Melissa) Kraus of Elkhart Lake; Mary Ellen (Bryan) Hall of Riverton, Wyoming; Sue (Tim) Meyer of Kiel; Kathy (David) Young of Sussex; Laurie (Ron) Faber of Marytown; Jeanne (Chad) Karls of West Bend. Grandchildren Christopher and Gail Kraus and their children Parker and Bentley; Cory and Becky Kraus and their children Carvin and Carson; Nathan and Stacie Kraus and their children Lilly, Ethan and Micah; Aaron Kraus; Shelly and Jeff Laudolff and their children Jerod, Austin and Abigail; Stephanie and Lynnwood Kipp; Brad and Alisha Thome; Todd Thome; Tammy and Darnell Fagbemi and their children Brayden, Blake and Blair; Jennifer Walesh and her children Katelyn and Karli; Kelly and Keith Tasch and their children Bryleigh and Ella; Jami and Scott Nett and their children Josie and Laney; Jenna and Jeff Klinger and their children Jacob, Jack and Emma; Kori and Gary Bertram ; Erik and Ashley Olson and their daughter Eleanor; Tyler Olson; Keisha Streckel; Shawna Streckel; Emily and Todd Fox and their children Grace and Alayna; Maria and Grant Stecker and their children Lillian and Adalind; Joshua Kraus; Isaac and Susanne Hall and their daughter Dana; Beth and Chrys Perdue and their children Ashtin and Caleb; Jacob Hall; Barb Hall; Nicole Meyer; Justin Meyer; Tracy Young; Matthew Young; Alicia and AJ Miranda; Benjamin and Sarah Knier; Maggie Faber; Max Faber; Jenna Karls; Brianna Karls; Lucas Karls. His sisters, Laurina Schumacher; Rosemary (Jerome) Baus; Joanie Freund. His sisters-in-law Ludina Schmitz, Rosetta Kraus, Shirley (Ray) Jacques, and brother-in-law Andy (Geraldine) Karls and many other family and friends. He is preceded in death by his parents, granddaughter, Kimberly Kraus; great-grandson, Alexander Kraus; brother Melvin Kraus and his wife Alma, sister Loretta and her husband Leo Morgan; his in-laws Herman and Elizabeth Karls; brother-in-laws Francis Schumacher, Wilmer Freund, Tony Kraus and Elmer Schmitz. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 11:00 AM on Tuesday, December 23, 2014, at St. Mary's Church in Marytown, N10232 County Road G New Holstein, WI 53061. Rev. Joe Coerber will officiate. Burial will be in the St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery. Family and friends may call at the Sippel Funeral Home, 2618 Altona Avenue New Holstein, WI 53061 on Monday, December 22nd from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM and at the church in Marytown on Tuesday morning from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM. A prayer service will be held at the funeral home Monday evening at 7:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund will be established in his name. For additional information, please contact the Sippel Funeral Home in New Holstein (920) 898-4300 or visit www.sippelfuneralhome.net. Benno's family would like to express their sincere appreciation to the New Holstein First Responders, Kiel Ambulance, and the staff at Calumet Medical Center.