Gertrude Fochtman Maus

Maus, Gertrude Fochtman, died at her summer home in Petoskey, MI July 20, 2003. Mrs. Maus was born in Petoskey August 14, 1911 to Susan Mclean and Eugene Fochtman. Upon completion of school in Petoskey she attended Clark College in Dubuque, IA. She returned to Petoskey joining her family in the retail business she loved, Fochtman Department Store. She met her husband William and they married on September 15, 1930. Mrs. Maus, her husband, William and Frank Hoffman opened Maus and Hoffman in Petoskey followed in 1940 with their first Florida store in Ft. Lauderdale. Maus and Hoffman grew to the five stores that now exist in South Florida. Mrs. Maus was interested in making life better for those in need, and was an early and energetic supporter of the Sacramentine Monastery in Conway, MI. She supported numerous charities and was active in the Holy Cross Hospital Auxillary and Thrift Shop in Ft. Lauderdale. To the very end, she was interested in business, the state of the world, the health of the two areas in which she lived and the well being of all she knew. She is survived by three sons William (Jane), Thomas (Judy), and John, (Ann) and two daughters, Jane Hearne and Julie (William) Norcross, twenty-two grandchildren and twenty-three great-grandchildren, and her brother Vincent (Charlotte) Fochtman. She was predeceased by her husband William in 1980. Memorials may be sent to the Sacramentine Monastery, 2798 N. US Hwy #31, Conway, MI 49722.