The following obituary was lovingly written & provided by Maxine's family:

"Maxine Emma Kraske" died at the Cimarron Pointe Nursing Home on March 20th, 2012 at the age of 93. She was born in rural Parnell, Iowa on June 20, 1918 to parents Wesley Tippie and Viola Delozier Tippie Claypool. She rode in a school "hack" pulled by two horses to grade school at Parnell, played basketball and softball, and graduated from North English High School in 1936.

She moved to Chicago and became a nanny, then moved with that family to Los Angeles, then to San Diego, and eventually married a Navy Radioman Jack Berry, who was killed in a plane crash in San Diego on a training mission. She went to Detroit to be with his parents and attended Del-Mar Beauty School.

In July 1941 she married Elmer Kraske, who was a General Motors salesman, and they lived in Detroit and Cleveland, before he enlisted in the Army and was sent overseas during WWII where he was a POW in Germany. Once liberated she and Elmer lived in Pontiac and Bay City, Michigan before settling down in Onawa, Iowa where he was a manufacturer's representative for several companies selling in a five state area. She became his office manager and book keeper while raising three children – Joyce, Gary, and Michael. She helped with girl scouts and boy scouts, followed her kids sports events, and was an avid bowler with a high score of 299.

She followed the Iowa Hawkeyes basketball, as well as, professional basketball "Bulls", baseball "Falcons" and NASCAR "Jeff Gordon" after her children moved out, as well as, helped with the family business and county fair activity. Elmer died of ALS in 1988 and she delved into crocheting Afghans and US flags, painting sceneries, and visiting grandchildren. She enjoyed gardening, yard work, and listening to her favorite hymns, "The Old Rugged Cross" and "In The Garden".

With failing health in 2004, after over 50 years living in the same house in Onawa, she moved to Mannford, Oklahoma to be near her son Gary and lived with her daughter Joyce for several years, followed by 3 years at Green Tree Assisted Living in Sand Springs, and five months at Cimarron Pointe Nursing Home.

She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, one brother, two sisters, and a son, Michael. Maxine is survived by her children, Joyce Smith of Bella Vista, AR, Gary & Teresa Kraske of Mannford, OK, sister, Rita Posey of Houston, TX, daughter-n-law, Jeanne Kraske of Marysville, Wash., twelve grandchildren, twenty-two great grandchildren, and five great great grandchildren.

A graveside service was held, Tuesday, March 27th at 10:00 AM at Onawa Cemetery, Onawa, Iowa with Pastor Barbara Hansen officiating. Memorial gifts may be made to the Lou Gerick ALS Association 27001 Agoura Rd. Ste 250 Calabasas Hills, CA 91301 or the Children's Building Fund at Lakeside Baptist Church P. O. Box 906 Mannford, OK 74044, in Maxine's memory.