Hans Klecker died on May 26, 2025, after surviving challenges through faith in God and family. Born on August 30, 1932, in the village of Klek, Yugoslavia, to John and Maria Klecker, he had a happy childhood before World War II. As a youth, he survived the horrors of the war, first in Yugoslavia and then in Germany after the Soviets invaded his hometown.

In 1956, he emigrated to the United States, enlisting in the U.S. Army before he knew a single word of English. After he was honorably discharged, he went back to Germany for a time, working as a plasterer and painter before rejoining his family in Pittsburgh, Pa. He worked for John Unertl Optical Company, making rifle scopes for the United States Marine Corps and windows for NASA. It was there that he met the love of his life, Marie Starkowicz. He married her in 1969, and they had their only daughter in 1970. He was a hard-working man who always put his faith and his family first. He survived prostate cancer in 2000 and then moved to Mooresville, N.C., to be closer to his daughter and son-in-law.

In 2017, he survived the heartbreak of losing his wife to a sudden stroke. In 2019, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and fought it with the stubbornness those who love him adored. He didn’t let it stop him from puttering in the yard, enjoying beach trips or rearranging everything in the house, repeatedly. After forgetting his age, he happily told everyone he met in these later years that he was 100.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife Marie; and his sister, Hilda. He is survived by his daughter, Theresa Stukbauer; and his grandson, Steven Stukbauer; as well as nieces, Judy Iszauk and Gabriele Billingsly; and a nephew, Herman Blatz.

A funeral mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 31, 2025, at St. Therese Catholic Church, Mooresville. Burial will follow the mass at Glenwood Memorial Park.

Cavin-Cook Funeral Home, Mooresville is proudly serving the Klecker family.