Henry Krause, Jericho Tool and Supply owner, dies

Henry E. Krause, a business entrepreneur and longtime Huntington resident who relatives said prized his family and time spent with them above all else, died June 4 of complications following elective surgery. He was 82.

Though he worked long hours, Krause "came from a home where his father wasn't around that much and he didn't want to be that kind of dad," said Henry Krause of Huntington, one of his three sons. "So he took us on vacation."

That vacation place, for 50 years, was Lake George, where Krause also found sanctuary from workaday hustle and bustle and honed his golfing skills. Trips there are a tradition the family intends to continue, his son Henry said.

"He always believed in spending time with family, and this was the best opportunity to do that," said son Donald Krause of Huntington.

Born in Flushing, Krause went to work at age 12 to help his mother and father financially, taking a job setting pins at a bowling alley. When he was 17, he tried to join the Navy. At first, he was turned down by the recruitment office because he was too young to join, but with his mother's permission, he entered the service, his family said.

He had a brief stint playing professional baseball after he was drafted by the St. Louis Browns, his sons said. He was with the organization less than a year when an injury to his collarbone ended his baseball career.

In 1953, he married his wife, Catherine, and that same year they moved to Long Island, settling in 1960 in Melville. He took a job in sales at Jericho Tool and Supply Co., which he eventually purchased in 1972. He owned the company until 1990.

His wife died in 1989.

Krause's move into entrepreneurship made him a strong proponent of running one's own business, and two of his three sons took heed of his advice.

Henry Krause, 55 and the oldest of the three, started a company in Bay Shore called Finish Line USA, which sells bicycle accessory equipment and bike cleaning products. Bill Krause, 52, of Huntington, started a synthetic and specialty lubricant company called Tribology Inc. in Yaphank. The youngest son, Donald, 50, is a sales executive for Sprint Corp.

"It wasn't an obligation, it was a pleasure to have spent time with him," said Donald, who lives in Huntington.

"His legacy is his kids," Bill said, "and we're going to try our best to live up to his legacy."

Services were held Wednesday. Burial was in Pinelawn Memorial Park in Pinelawn.

In addition to his three sons, he is survived by 11 grandchildren.