CHARLES M. KRAFT SR.
July 17, 1923-Dec. 27, 2009
MOUNT OLIVE -- Charles M. Kraft Sr., 86, 104 Jurney St., died Sunday night at Wayne Memorial Hospital.
Funeral service will be held at 3 p.m. Wednesday at Tyndall Funeral Home, with the Rev. Mickey Whitfield officiating. Interment will be in Maplewood Cemetery.
Born in Holland, Mich., he came to Mount Olive at the age of eight, when his father was recruited to assume leadership of Mt. Olive Pickle Co.
"Charlie"was a natural with a camera in hand, and in 1943, he sought to live out his passion by establishing Kraft's Studio of Photography in Mount Olive. He became widely known for his photographic abilities and was named a master of photography, which is the highest recognition of distinction given to photographers.
He was a member of First Baptist Church of Mount Olive and the Mount Olive Rotary Club of which he was a past president. He had served on the Mount Olive School Advisory Board and was a lifetime member of Southern Wayne Country Club.
In 1957 he appeared on the original daytime television game show, "The Price Is Right" and held the champion title.
His survivors include his sons, Buddy Kraft and wife, Janet, of Woodbridge, Va., and Rick Kraft and his wife, Debbie, of Calypso; three grandchildren, Corey Kraft Gildener, Kimberly Kraft Camper and Jennifer Kraft Cool; five great-grandchildren; two sisters, Eleanor K. Dunn of Pennsylvania and Margaret Jean K. Hooks of Raleigh; and a brother, Carwin Kraft of Whiting, Ind.
His wife, Frances Southerland Kraft, preceded him in death, as did his parents, Harry C. and Margaret Dirksey Kraft.
The family will receive friends at the funeral home during the hour before the service.
(Pd)
Published in Obituaries on December 29, 2009 1:50 PM