for breaking news visit www.qns.com NOVEMBER 17, 2016 • The Courier SUN 37 The passage of a Bayside icon Victoria’s Secrets This week saw the passage of Leo Kraus, a Bayside fixture who lived 92 glorious years and had a powerful effect on the lives of many residents. Leo Kraus was born over the store his parents, Minnie and Albert, ran on Bell Boulevard. Albert had fled the feudal lands of Russia and made his way across Europe and the Atlantic Ocean before arriving in Bayside. In 1914, when the area was all farmland, Minnie and Albert Kraus opened a blacksmith shop and general store. While customers waited to get new shoes for their horses, they shopped in the market Minnie ran successfully for decades. Leo’s son, David, who went into the family business 35 years ago with his father, told me how his grandmother helped the illiterate immigrant customers of that time to read and answer the mail from their home countries; because she spoke five languages, no one was turned away. Leo lived with his parents until he married Corrine 64 years ago, and the young couple moved to a garden apartment in Bayside. Over the years, A. Kraus & Son evolved into Bayside’s go-to store for paint, wallpaper and carpeting, operating continuously through the Great Depression and other business cycles for nearly 100 years. Albert Kraus also helped found the Bayside Jewish Center and the family remained active there for decades. I remember shopping at A. Kraus & Son for my homes and always seeing Leo on the floor listening to his customers’ needs. He and Corrine, who ran the wallpaper department, and David, who ran the carpeting department, always catered to my needs. The store had two mottos: “See everything without going everywhere!” and “Love thy neighbor and paint your house!” I loved hearing Leo Kraus’ advise to his son when he joined the family business: “Always get to your job 15 minutes before you are supposed to start work, and leave 15 minutes later than when the job ends. Don’t be a clock watcher!” Leo Kraus was a man who loved his work with such a passion that he often said, “I never worked a day in my life,” David Kraus recalled. A. Kraus & Son had one location, but they were stocked with 1,000 gallons of paint. In fact, they supplied paint and other items to institutional clients. Amid health problems, Leo – who at that point was residing in North Shore Towers – made the decision to close his business on April 30, 2005. This allowed him and Corrine to continue to focus on another passion in their life: their family. Leo is survived by Corrine, his children David and Michael, four grandchildren and great-granddaughter Charlotte. Indeed, Bayside was a better place because of Leo Kraus. Dynamic $1500 off Lumineers $500 off Invisalign DENTAL WORK CALL FOR FREE CONSULTATION THE INVISIBLE WAY TO SOME EXCLUSIONS APPLY STRAIGHTEN TEETH Third Generation Dentist 175-15 Jamaica avenue, Jamaica 718-297-4100 • 718-297-4106 t On Election Day, former Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi was elected as the new representative of the Third Congressional District seat, taking over in January for the retiring Congressman Steve Israel. Steve served brilliantly since taking office in 2001 and chose earlier this year not to run for another term. In his time, he served as chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, but admitted on national television that raising money for each two-year term was simply too much. He had to spend 30 hours a week just raising money for campaigns for both himself and his many colleagues. Even so, Congressman Israel effectively represented his constituency, including residents in northeast Queens and the north shore of Long Island, by supporting Planned Parenthood, increased gun regulations, the Affordable Care Act, LGBT rights and the nation of Israel. Congressman Israel was born in Brooklyn but grew up in Levittown in Nassau County. He graduated from Nassau Community College, then received a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University. He would later attend George Washington University and become an aide to Congressman Richard Ottinger. When Congressman Rick Lazio decided to run for Senate rather than re-election to Congress in 2000, Israel ran for his seat and won. A man of many interests, Israel has also written a critically acclaimed novel, “The Global War on Morris.” During a recent lunch together, Israel told me he was very upbeat about his future. He plans to write more books and consult with various companies, lending his years of experience to them. Needless to say, Israel will be a very busy man. Our loss is someone else’s gain! Victoria SCHNEPS-YUNIS [email protected] tweet me @vschneps We’ll miss you, Congressman! Anthony Lemma, President, Saul Weprin club; Warren Schreiber, President, Bayterrace Alliance; Roberta Schreiber; Congressman Steve Israel; Debra Markell Kleinert, President Emeritus, Waterside Estates at CrestHaven HOA; Victoria Schneps-Yunis CEO/ Publisher, Schneps Communications; Matthew Silverstein, State Committee 26th AD
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