Maria Krenz

1944 - 2022

Maria Krenz died on November 9, 2022, at the age of 78. She was born on April 24, 1944, in Budapest, Hungary, to Marianne Donner and Alexander Fleischl (changed to Felhos after the Holocaust). Raised Catholic but of Jewish ancestry, she learned to hide both of these things in a time and place where being a good communist was the only path to safety. She lost her father at the age of 6. After surviving the unsuccessful Hungarian revolt against the tyranny of the Soviet occupation in 1956, Maria and her mother emigrated to Venezuela. In 1964, following a military coup in Venezuela, Maria and her mother succeeded in immigrating to the United States. The huge welcome sign above the line for immigrants became a promise fulfilled. She received U.S. citizenship five years later and never felt like a second-rate American. In New York, she learned English and worked in the loan department of the Bank of New York while also attending evening classes at the College of the City of New York (later City University of NY). In 1968, she moved to Boulder to study at the University of Colorado, where she earned a BA and MA in Spanish literature while also working as a secretary in the Electrical Engineering Department. In 1971, she found her religious home on her first visit to the Boulder Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). In 1972, Maria married Jerrold Krenz, and their son Christopher was born the year after. After Maria's dear friend, Susan Boulding, died of cancer, Susan's son, Bjorn, became a beloved second son to her. From 1976 until her retirement in 1994, Maria worked with the Environmental and Societal Impacts group at the National Center for Atmospheric Research as a writer/editor and administrator, winning several awards for her contributions. Maria was a devoted volunteer in Quaker Meeting, serving as Clerk (the Quaker equivalent of pastor) and on virtually every committee, including the two most humble yet crucial ones, service and fellowship. After retiring, she focused above all on the cause she held dearest, care for the homeless. After a 30-year marriage, she divorced and found the love of her life, Mary Hey. Maria and Mary traveled all over the world, sharing their passion for beauty - both natural and humanly created. She also gained a beloved daughter in Emily Hey. Maria was soft-spoken and unassuming yet had a powerful impact on those around her. She was a loving servant to her family, her many friends, and the wider world. Maria was a wonderful listener, bringing an open heart and true compassion to everyone she met. With gentleness, determination, and humor, she lifted people up, supported community at every level, and made the world a better place than she found it. In 2009, Maria published her book, Made in Hungary: A Life Forged by History, which dissolved whatever fear about being Jewish still lingered in her heart. After carrying her childhood memories of the Holocaust, the Soviet era, the Hungarian revolution, and the Venezuelan coup in silence for many years, she made peace with her past by sharing her story. Over the last ten years of her life, she took classes with fascination and joy at the university and at Nevei Kodesh, hungrily learning about Jewish history, philosophy, ethics, and life rhythms. While, as a convinced Quaker, she did not belong to a synagogue, in giving talks about the Holocaust at the university and elsewhere, she found that bearing witness was her true calling, and perhaps the reason she survived against all odds. Maria is mourned by her extended family, her many friends from all walks of life, and the members of Boulder Meeting, where her practical and spiritual gifts were a source of unceasing gratitude and deepest joy. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, December 3, at the Boulder Friends Meetinghouse, 1825 Upland Avenue, Boulder. In lieu of flowers, Maria requested donations be made to Community Food Share https:// community foodshare.org/.