Charles R. KRAIGER

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The History of Van Buren County, Michigan, 1982 CHARLES KRAIGER(BANGOR) Charles Kraiger was born January 30, 1911 on a farm in Bangor Township to Amos and Kittie (Trim) Kraiger. Paternal grandparents were Charles and Mary Jane Jackson Kraiger and maternal grandparents were M. D. and Sophia (Bishop) Trim. Charles and Mary Jane Kraiger came to Bangor Township from New York State.Amos and Kittie Kraiger had two daughters, Mary and Dorothy and two sons, M. D. and Charles. Charles attended Johnstown Rural School the first eight years and Bangor High School for three years. He had to drop out of school to help with the work on the farm. While in high school, he was on the agriculture judging team.Charles married Leona Crapo on February 1, 1930 at South Bend, Indiana.Leona was born on a farm in Arlington Township October 8, 1912 to Benjamin J. and Lovicie A. (Nichols) Crapo. Ben Crapo was born in a log cabin south of Bangor in Heath District. His parents, Frank and Rose Crapo moved to Kearney, Nebraska when Ben and his sister Laura were very young. Then Mabel, Edith and Edna were born in Nebraska. Ben and George Hunt left Nebraska at eighteen years of age, traveling in a covered wagon back to Bangor bringing with them several horses for resale here.Leona attended Decatur School until the third grade, and then moved back to Arlington Township and attended Heath District Rural School. She attended Bangor High School for a half year.Charles and Leona had two sons, Kenneth and Kirk; also two daughters, Janet and Ardith. Kenneth married Joyce Queen from Benton Harbor, Michigan. They have three children: Valorie, Kenneth Jr. and Rockne. Kirk married Clorinda Arace from Florida and has one daughter, Terra Jevon. Janet married David Manspeaker Jr. from Bangor and they have two children, Deborah Marene and David Russell. Ardith married Kenneth Russell from Hartford Township. They have four sons: Kennon Lane, Keith Loren, Kyle Lawrence and Kip Lance. There are five great grandchildren in the family.Charles and Leona have been engaged in general farming, raising mink and blueberry farming. They were sales representatives and unit sales leaders for Stanley Home Products for 15 years. They won a new car and several trips through their high sales.Charles is a member of the Masonic Lodge, Coloma 162, the Scottish Rites and was a member of the Southwestern Michigan Trappers Association. His hobbies were raising Black Labrador and Cocker Spaniel puppies, fishing, hunting and trapping. He also refinishes furniture.Leona was a member of the Eastern Star in Coloma, a member of the Methodist Church for 25 years. She is now a member of the Bangor Church of Christ. Leona is also a member of the Lake Van Auken Pleasure Club. Her hobbies are crocheting, crewel embroidery, needlepoint, golf, canning, cooking, raising houseplants, reading and is very interested in family histories.Charles and Leona have a cabin at Eleanor Lake near Brethren, Michigan that they enjoy in the summer, and a home in Port Charlotte, Florida. They have done quite a lot of traveling around in the United States and Canada.

Charles married Leona Marene CRAPO on 1 Feb 1930 in South Bend, Indiana. Leona (daughter of Benjamin J. CRAPO and Lovicie A. NICHOLS) was born on 8 Oct 1912 in Bangor, Van Buren Co., Michigan; died on 15 Nov 1984 in Memorial Hospital, Saint Joseph, Berrien Co., Michigan; was buried in North Shore Memory Gardens, Coloma, Berrien Co., Michigan. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]