December 11th 1909-February 10th 2008

WILLI KRAUSE

On February 10th, 2008, at the young age of 98, the Trail Track and Field Club, and by extension, all of us, lost renowned track and field coach, great man and pillar in the community. He immigrated to Canada in 1958, followed by his wife and children in 1959, where he took up residence in Trail. While working in the community at various jobs, his passion was coaching talented track and field athletes in the Greater Trail Area. Under his coaching his athletes became well known on provincial, national and Olympic levels. Willi's contributions in this area, including his efforts in having a field-house constructed in Trail, have been recognized by the City of Trail through a Citizen-of-the-Year award as well as granting him status of Freeman-of-the-City. On a provincial scale, he was inducted into the BC Sports Hall-of-Fame in June 1982. He received wide recognition from many organizations and all levels of Government including the Golden Jubilee Medal on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. It is indeed a tribute to Willi that he dedicated 60 years of his life to the sport of track and field in both Germany and Canada. Following his productive years in the Trail community, where he also enjoyed beekeeping, gardening and renovating his home. This page is dedicated to the memory of Willi Krause; may we always remember how he drove us to strive to do our best. On July 19th, 2008, a memorial was held in Trail celebrating his life.

TRIBUTES

Below are linked some tributes to Willi by people who had been coached by him.