Carl F. Kropp

Died December 27, 2005

REDFORD - Carl F. Kropp, 84, passed away peacefully in his home. Born July 19, 1921, in Maple City, he was the eldest child of Otto and Florence (Atkinson) Kropp.

Carl grew up on Cass Street and attended Traverse City schools, graduating in 1939. Next to his graduation photo, the caption "Youth takes a fling," seems to be an appropriate motto. He was known for his larger than life approach to living and never tired in his quest for knowledge. He could be counted on to know the answer to any question, and his gift of gab brought new wisdom to all that cared to listen.

His siblings recall that at the age of six, Carl disassembled an alarm clock to better understand the mechanics, then reassembled it back to a functional state. To their astonishment, they discovered he had extra parts left over. This mechanical genius put his talents to work for 30 years as an engineer for the Ford Motor Company in Dearborn. He retired in 1980.

When Carl was in his late teens, he and three friends rode three-speed bikes from Traverse City to Texas. He then attended Michigan State prior to relocating to the Detroit area.

There, he met the love of his life, Muriel, at the roller skating rink. They were married on June 20, 1947, and had seven children. Carl built his home by himself, with minimal assistance, in the early 1950s. He took great pride in his home and family.

Carl was known for his limitless generosity, not only to his family and friends, but also to complete strangers. He gave blood as frequently as he could throughout his life and admitted that he would often have to run up and down a few flights of stairs to increase his pulse and blood pressure enough to be eligible to donate.

His family was secure in the knowledge that he could be counted on for his support in any situation. No task was too great or too small.

He was a man of integrity and will be greatly missed. His family is comforted by how his goodness affected the lives of so many others.

Carl is survived by his loving wife of 58 years, Muriel; seven children; and seven grandchildren. He is also survived by his siblings, Rosemary Merritt, Ruth Wilder, Dave, Joan Maule, Patricia Zukas, Shirley Castner and Fred.

He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Jean.

Interment was at Parkview Memorial Cemetery in Livonia.

Donations can be made to Grace Lutheran Church, 25630 Grand River Ave., Redford, MI 48240. Carl assisted in the construction of the church in the 1950s, and remained a life-long member.

This obituary was originally published in the Record-Eagle.