Obituary: Karl John Klug

March 18, 1928 ~ March 8, 2022

Karl John Klug, age 93, died on March 8, 2022 at Door County Medical Center in Sturgeon Bay. He was born in Morrison, Wisconsin on March 18, 1928 to Edwin W. and Elsie Saenger Klug. Survivors include wife, Lucy; son, Karl Jr.; and daughter, Carrie. He was predeceased by his parents and two sisters, Fern and Bonita.

Karl attended a one room school in Morrison and graduated from East De Pere High School, where he played football as well as the trombone. Karl learned to make cheese alongside his father in the family cheese factory in Morrison. Following Edwin’s retirement, Karl became the sole cheesemaker and specialized in aged raw milk cheddar. After handing off the cheese factory to a farmers’ cooperative, Karl completed his college degree at the College of Agriculture, University of Wisconsin, Madison. Summers, Karl worked for the USDA as a grader of cheese and butter in government storage in Chicago and New York.

In 1965, Karl began his 29-year career with the L.D. Schreiber Cheese Company in Green Bay, where he managed the procurement of cheese and ingredients, and established business relationships in the United States, Ireland, Europe, and New Zealand. He provided technical advice to cheesemakers around the country and was involved in the development of the first McDonald’s cheese slices. Karl savored every kind of cheese and enjoyed sharing his knowledge with others.

In his spare time, Karl enjoyed singing in choirs and choruses and, more recently, volunteering with Midsummer’s Music. Winters often included skiing in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Maine, Colorado, and Utah. He excelled at raising sheep and other farm animals, making hay, and raising vegetables, teaching his children to build fences, make cider, and be resourceful and independent. His love of the land led to long term involvement with the Door County Land Trust. He had a life-long passion for sailing, starting with a canoe and hoisted blanket, progressing to a Flying Junior, 505s, and ultimately to an Ericson sloop. He honed his sailing skills racing on Green Bay and in the Chicago to Mackinac race. Karl was a long-term member of the Egg Harbor Yacht Club and was devoted to the Club’s racing program. His family was his crew and together they sailed through 55 years of adventures.

The family is grateful for the expert and kind care Karl received from the doctors and nurses at Door County Medical Center during his final days.

Huehns Funeral Home, Inc. & Door County Crematory LLC of Sturgeon Bay are assisting the Klug family. Expressions of sympathy, memories, and photos of Karl may be shared with his family through his tribute page at www.huehnsfuneralhome.com.