Hundreds say goodbye to Mark Kreller
Community leader remembered for giving back in so many ways
KITCHENER — Mark Kreller was a leader, a musician, a champion for his community, and most importantly, a family man.
Hundreds gathered at the Henry Walser Funeral Home Saturday to pay their final respects to Kreller, who died suddenly Monday due to a heart attack. He was 54 years old.
Many knew Kreller through his work in the community, most recently as the executive director of Oktoberfest, but his family remembered him as a loving husband and father.
“To us he was just Mark, the kind-hearted, laid-back, funny guy we loved,” said Audrey Coffey, his sister-in-law.
“We will miss him so much. Our family gatherings, our dinner parties, our holidays will never be the same.”
Vic Degutis, pastpresident of Oktoberfest, said that although Kreller spent countless hours devoted to developing the Bavarian festival, he would always stop to make time for his family. “If I remember correctly, the only reason we stopped working was because we got the subtle calls from home reminding us that we had families and lives,” he said.
His wife, Christine Michaud, and son, Stuart Michaud, could attest to the dedication Kreller had to family. “He lived to make us happy,” Stuart said. Fighting back tears, Stuart shared stories of Kreller teaching him to play the drums, driving him to and from sports practices or part-time jobs and always being there to provide advice.
“Mark was the perfect father figure that I needed as a young boy, he put me on the path to success,” he said. “He taught me life lessons, how to be a man and to take responsibility for your actions.”
The mentorship he provided to his son was also shared with other young people in the community through his work with Oktoberfest, as well as Junior Achievement Waterloo Region, Leadership Waterloo Region and the Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce.
“Mark believed that leaders in any organization had the responsibility to coach and counsel,” Degutis said.
“Over the past week, countless young successful leaders in the community shared either directly with me or through social media, the critical role Mark played in shaping their lives for the future.”
Kreller’s service to the community certainly made his family proud.
“There’s something to be said about a man who can command attention where ever he is for whatever he does,” Christine said. “That positive, joyful quality was always there.”
The couple met while working at the Waterloo Region Record 20 years ago. Since then they spent many happy years living in the region, enjoyed time at their cottage and travelled for business and pleasure to tropical locations. From their first date to their last — watching Mary Poppins at the Dunfield Theatre in Cambridge just a week ago — Christine said every moment was amazing because they were together.
“A friend told me grief is the highest price you pay for love,” she said. “I’d pay anything to do that again.”