Wolfram Kloetz, 93

MEREDITH — Wolfram Kloetz, 93, passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in Meredith surrounded by his loving children and grandchildren on April 15, 2021.

Born in Weilburg, Germany, on June 7, 1927, to parents Georg (Fritz) Kloetz and Martha Schmidt Kloetz, he was the youngest of four brothers and was predeceased by Gunther, Ludo, and Irmfried. He liked to tell his family that he was the longest lived Kloetz male in the family’s history.

Wolfram was predeceased by his beloved wife of 63 years, Jutta Holfeier Kloetz. They immigrated to New York City in 1954 and started their family in 1957 with the birth of their son Andre and three years later, their daughter Colette while they were living in a small apartment in Brooklyn, New York. Shortly after the birth of their daughter, they purchased their first home in Laurelton, Queens, where they spent 10 happy years before moving to Ramsey, New Jersey. Wolfram spent many wonderful years there and especially appreciated the easy commute to his job in Manhattan aboard an air-conditioned, upholstered seat bus instead of the strap-hanging bus and subway rides in his early working days.

Most of his working years were spent on the island of Manhattan at a specialty photo development firm called Modernage. He worked with many famous photographers on developing black and white photographs of extraordinary news events and handled the photographic illustrations in several of their books. He was proud of the fact that the company employed a diverse group of people from all over the world and they managed to work together in harmony in his lab.

Wolfram loved music and sports and raised his children to appreciate both. Weekends and days off were spent playing sports in the park or at one of his favorite summer hangouts, Jones Beach, where he loved taking his kids to splash in the surf. He loved golf and spent many hours on the links with his children and his friends.

In his early forties, he discovered a little lakeside motel and cottage colony named Pep’s Landing and visited this establishment with his wife and children for over 20 years, meeting the same friends and families there every year. Some of his happiest times were spent relaxing at this special location on Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes Region of New York.

Wolfram and his wife were staunch supporters of their children’s and grandchildren’s sports and music activities. When they moved to Meredith in 2000, they continued this activity and were fixtures at many Inter-Lakes soccer, basketball, and volleyball games. Later in his life, he developed a love of gourmet cooking and enjoyed making delicious meals for his family.

His children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren were all special to him and he enjoyed seeing them at every opportunity. Wolfram is survived by his daughter, Colette Fand, her fiancé Arnold Martin, and her four children, Samantha Fand Prindiville, Travis Fand, Jesse Fand, and Kimberly Fand, and Sam’s husband Matt Prindiville. He is also survived by his son, Andre Kloetz and his wife Paula Larlee Kloetz, their children, Karen Keenan Schneider and her husband Kevin Schneider, Kevin Keenan, Kristopher Kloetz and his wife Nicole Southworth Kloetz; and great-grandchildren Mackenzie Keenan, Kayla Schneider, Emma Keenan, Tyler Schneider, Carolyn Keenan, Evelyn Kloetz, and Gunnar Kloetz. Lastly, he is survived by his nephews, Peter Kloetz, Dr. Rene Kloetz, and niece Sabine Kloetz, their spouses, children, and grandchildren. His German and Swedish families were also a big part of his life and he greatly enjoyed his visits back to Europe and their visits to the USA.

A family service and celebration of life will be held on April 24th at Meredith Village Cemetery and then at his son Andre’s home in Meredith.

The family wishes to sincerely thank all of Wolfram’s caregivers at LRGH, Golden View, Encompass, the Lakes Region Visiting Nurses Association, and especially his personal physician Dr. Joseph Misiewicz, Sarah Goren, RN of the VNA, and retired nurse Lisa Ritchie from Live Free Home Health Care for the wonderful care they provided for Wolfram.