Krenz wanted to do better
James Krenz was a take charge kind of man and wasn’t the type to ever stand on the sidelines, his family members said.
That’s why Krenz, a mainstay on the Fox Valley political scene for nearly a decade, ran for three separate offices.
Krenz, 57, died Tuesday of pancreatic cancer.
He most recently lived in Carpentersville and had run for village president in 2009 against incumbent Bill Sarto and eventual winner Ed Ritter. His political career also involved a run for state representative in the 49th district — he lost in the 2008 primary — and a successful run for a trustee seat with the Gail Borden Library in 2004.
Krenz had deep ties to the area, after having lived his entire life here. In addition, he ran a plumbing business in Carpentersville and wanted to make a difference.
“He’s a leadership type of guy,” said his wife Patricia, adding that he served as a Republican precinct committeeman in Carpentersville. “He knows how to get things done and, you know, get out of his way.”
An illness blocked his future political aspirations.
Krenz died Tuesday morning after a yearlong battle with his disease at Hospice and Palliative Care of Northeastern Illinois in Barrington.
Krenz lived in Elgin, Hampshire and Carpentersville all of his life and graduated from Elgin High School in 1972.
When he wasn’t filing papers for office, Krenz ran Amy Plumbing Heating and Cooling in Carpentersville, a company he started in 1984. He retired in 2009.
It was through the company that Krenz met Patricia in 1985. She designed kitchens and bathrooms in Elgin and the company she worked for hired Krenz to do the plumbing. They didn’t get together until 1994 when they reunited at a restaurant where she’d been working as a bartender.
“He was a nice guy, he was fun, he asked me out and I said yes,” Patricia Krenz said. They married two years later.
Krenz also was a skilled builder known for constructing and reselling houses in Elgin and Algonquin. He doled out building advice on a weekly call-in radio show on WRMN-AM 1410 called “Your Home Matters.” The show also aired on WIND-AM 560, his son John said.
Krenz believed in giving back to his community and, as such, was a founding member of the Carpentersville Rotary Club.
On the political side, Carpentersville businessman Tom Roeser became one of Krenz’s key benefactors. Roeser owns Otto Engineering and backed Krenz in both his state and Carpentersville contests. Krenz’s can-do attitude and fiscally conservative stance impressed Roeser.
“Jim was a man that you could rely on that he would do what he said,” Roeser said.
Krenz is survived by his wife, four children, five grandchildren and three brothers. Services will be held at 7 p.m. Friday at Laird Funeral Home in Elgin.