Obituary: Josef Klaß, a Turk from Turkey, died at the age of 86

Türkenfeld – Josef Klaß was a member of the Türkenfeld brass band for over 50 years. He wasn’t particularly musical at all. But he had one talent that no band can do without – he could reliably beat the beat like clockwork. And he did that on the bass drum for decades.

Precision was in the blood of the master carpenter. In his craft, too, accurate work, reliability and punctuality were top priorities. Klass was born into the carpenter’s workshop in 1934 as the eldest of three sons. He took over his father’s business shortly after his master craftsman examination in 1961 and became a father himself for the first time in the same year.

Josef Klaß did not have to look far for the woman of his life. She lived at the other end of his street – the two had known each other as children, married in the summer of 1957 and raised their own children in the house where Josef Klaß had grown up. Son Rupert was born in 1961, daughter Rosemarie eight years later.

In addition to the large amount of work in the company with up to five employees, Josef Klaß and his Maria also enjoyed taking short breaks. Whenever the two had something to celebrate, they did it with a trip to Bad Wörishofen. There were also many trips together with the brass band, and the musicians’ wives were often part of the party. When Josef Klaß sat around the kitchen table in later years with his Maria, the grown-up children and grandchildren with a good glass of wine, then his world was in order. In the third generation, he knew the business was in good hands with his son Rupert.

The grandfather of four enjoyed being with his family more than anything else in retirement – especially after he stopped working for the marching band due to back problems. To march through the streets with a heavy drum during parades was simply no longer possible.

The master carpenter, known for his witty sayings, didn’t let his humor be taken away. His favorite sentence (“Off to the fight, the mother-in-law is approaching”) is said to have expressly not referred to his own mother-in-law, assures his wife Maria Klaß. Josef Klaß was 86 years old.

Further news from the community of Türkenfeld can be found here.

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