Maxine E. Kreiger

Maxine E. “Max” Kreiger, nee Peters, passed away on Saturday, January 9, 2021 at Hanson Hospice in Stevensville. A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held on Friday, July 9, at 11 AM at Starks & Menchinger Chapel, 2650 Niles Rd., St. Joseph. Inurnment will follow at North Shore Memory Garden. Friends may visit with the family one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to Humane Society of Southwestern Michigan, https://www.humanesocietyswm.org/. Those wishing to leave an online condolence may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com. Maxine was born on April 13, 1930, in Keeler Twp., to Delloyd & Lena (Kietzer) Peters. She graduated from St. John’s High School in 1948. For many years she did clerical work at Saranac Machines, Cook Nuclear Plant and Skidmore Corporation. Throughout her lifetime Maxine enjoyed various interests and talents. She loved to travel the historical and varied sights of many states from Montana to Maine. She enjoyed photographing the beauty and uniqueness of each state and created an album for each adventure, later sharing them with the family. When not travelling, Maxine learned the art of cake decorating; creating wedding and special occasion cakes for family members throughout the years. Family always benefited from her interests and talents. When Maxine learned crocheting, her beautiful hand-made crocheted afghans became the prized gift at every Christmas, until all family members received at least one of her unique pieces. Maxine became a “surrogate” mother to many of her nieces and nephews during critical family times, thereby cementing her role in their lives forever. Family was always first for her. She was the family member that others turned to for help and support, and she never disappointed. On November 14, 1970, Max married the love of her life, Emil “Flea” Kreiger, in St. Joseph. The two were happily married for 30 years before his passing in 2000. One of her favorite memories was when she and Emil walked together to the North Pier and on their walk home, they would stop to get ice cream cones at Baskin-Robbins, fortifying themselves to complete their journey. Another hobby they did together was assembling large and difficult puzzles. They also liked food gardening, fishing, and a good hamburger & cold beer on a hot summer day. Finally, they had fun playing cards with her sister and brother-in-law on Saturday evenings, enduring the “cheating” that the “boys” did to win every hand. While Maxine always enjoyed reading, she especially loved the mystery books of Clive Cussler, reading every book that he wrote. After completing each novel, she shared them with family members who also got “hooked” on Cussler’s books. As a widow, Maxine continued to do homemaking, gardening, lawn work, and even snow shoveling until this last year when some tasks became too difficult for her. She was a beloved family member who will always be appreciated for her gentleness, generosity, and kindness to others throughout her life. Rest in peace dear Aunt. Max is survived by eight nieces and nephews and her cat, Boots. She was preceded in death by her parents, Delloyd & Lena; husband, Emil; and siblings, Florine (Herb) Quade and Kenneth Peters.