Klaus Goeckeritz

Klaus Jochen Goeckeritz, our beloved husband, father, and grandfather passed away peacefully on June 20, 2020 at his home in Alpine, Utah, just days short of his 79th birthday. After a typical day of working outside where he loved to be, he went to sleep and woke up in heaven.

Klaus was born June 25, 1941 in the small town of Neuwerschnitz, Germany to Hildegard and Georg Goeckeritz. At the age of 16, he emigrated to the US with his family and set out to truly live the American dream -- which he did. From the moment he stepped foot on US soil through the day he became a US citizen many years later, and throughout his life he had a deep love and respect for America.

He served a full time mission to Vienna, Austria for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and also was a member of the Utah National Guard. He married Constance Cram on June 2, 1967 in the Salt Lake Temple. Two years later, they settled in Alpine, Utah, where they have lived for the last 51 years. He owned and operated Millcreek Garage with his brother Raimund -- a Volkswagen repair shop in Salt Lake City. Even though he worked on cars, his passion was always animals. He owned Arabian horses and loved going on rides with his family in the mountains. Over the years the number of horses went down, and the number of children went up, until their family was complete with 8 beautiful children. He was known for raising a small herd of buffalo, leading countless boys in Scouting, and serving faithfully in his Church callings, including being the first bishop of the Alpine 4th Ward. The last 10 years, he has loved his job as a bus driver for the Alpine School District and truly made an impact on the kids he drove to school and their families.

Klaus was an amazing father, husband, grandpa and friend. He touched everyone he came in contact with in a positive uplifting way and left a legacy that will always be remembered. He loved the outdoors, including waterskiing, snowmobiling, hunting, and fishing and lived for the days that he could spend with his family at his favorite places such as  Lake Powell and Fairview.  He was happiest when serving God, family and country.

He created a incredible legacy of love and will be greatly missed.

He is survived by his wife, Constance Cram Goeckeritz, daughter, Amy (John), sons, Quinn (Jamie), Lafe, Toby (Tami), Troy (Jodi), Jake (Tierani), Jed (Katie), daughter, Erika (two daughters and six sons) and 22 grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Raimund. He is survived by his sisters Eva McClellan, Rosemarie Groebs and Annette Holbrook.

A viewing will be held on Wednesday, June 24th from 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. in the evening at Cannon Mortuary, 2460 E. Bengal Blvd (7600 S), Salt Lake City. Those attending the viewing are encouraged to wear masks.

Due to COVID-19, only family and a few close friends will gather  to celebrate his wonderful life at a graveside service on  his birthday, Thursday, June 25th at 11:00 a.m. at the Alpine Cemetery, 400 Grove Dr., Alpine, UT.

You can watch the video of Klaus's service at Alpine Cemetery by clicking the link in the "Services" section below.

Also, following is a tribute video

https://wetransfer.com/downloads/ec4edb43856c62d87b1515aefe64339520200624171303/0bab120b22ca01239da6da13159ed43720200624171324/64f86b

Funeral Recording