Mary Schwab Kraetzer

1938 - 2025

Mary Schwab Kraetzer
10/08/1938 - 11/07/2025
Mary Burr (Schwab) Kraetzer, at the age of 87, died peacefully on November 7, 2025.
Mary (Midge to all who knew her) was born on October 8, 1938 in Santa Rita, New Mexico to Mary Olive Burr of Deming, New Mexico and Albert Sidney Schwab of Pewee Valley, Kentucky. At the age of three, the family moved to Berkeley, California where her father opened a tool-and-die shop as part of the essential war effort.
After graduating from Berkeley High School in 1956, she enrolled at the University of California at Davis, majoring in Political Science. A lifelong Aggie booster, she never missed an opportunity to return to the UCD campus.
On June 16, 1962, she married John (Fritz) Frederick Kraetzer of Concord, Massachusetts. Three children followed, starting in 1965, which kept her busy as a homemaker and as a wrangler of the many cats, dogs, hamsters, fish, and rabbits her children and husband insisted on adopting. Her life-long love of reading led her to one of her many volunteer jobs; her favorite was with the Friends of the Berkeley Public Library. She so believed in the mission of public libraries that she later became president of the Friends of the California Library Association.
Once her children were older, Midge re-entered the workforce as a development director, first at Holy Names High School in Oakland, California and later California Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, California, both institutions she loved. She also swam for over two decades at the Master's level, competing in both national short-course and long-course meets.
After Fritz's retirement, they moved to Eastsound, Washington on Orcas Island, where they both spent many happy years volunteering, traveling and hosting friends. Always a passionate gardener, she became certified as a Master Gardener in Washington State, volunteering her time in several public gardens in Washington and Oregon.
Her later life, after the death in 2012 of her beloved husband of 49+ years, was spent in Walnut Creek, California, attending events at Town & Gown Club in Berkeley, seeing her friends over lunches and book club meetings, and traveling with her children and grandchildren.
She was predeceased by her father, Albert, her mother, Mary (Mickey), and her sister, Jeannie.
She is survived by sons Andrew Marshall Kraetzer and Bradford Burr Kraetzer, daughter-in-law Andrea Jeanne Hackett, daughter Mary (Polly) Finch Kraetzer, and granddaughters Sutter Kate Schwab Kraetzer, Caroline Sloane Marshall Kraetzer, and Madeleine Finch Hodson.
In lieu of flowers, gifts in Midge's name may be made to Friends of the Berkeley Public Library.