Herbert Graetz

Herbert Graetz, 88, passed away Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020, with family by his side.

He was born May 30, 1931, in Forst, Germany, to Reinhold and Martha Graetz.

Herbert's life story and experiences could fill a book. All those who knew him would agree that to sum up his life in a paragraph or two would be nearly impossible, but the highlights of his extraordinary journey are related herein.

Herb was born and raised in small town in eastern Germany near the border of Poland. Around 1940, Herb's father and all the men from his town were drafted into the German army and sent to the Eastern Front never to be seen or heard from again.

In 1943 at age 12, Herb and his school mates were tasked to hold off the invading Russians during the Soviet Union's push to invade Germany. Having only small arms to defend their town and the main bridge leading into Forst, they quickly discovered they were no match for the tanks and large artillery coming their way. It was at this time, the entire town, composed of only women and children, fled by train to a small mountain village where they stayed for nearly five years. During this time, Herb worked on a farm, raised rabbits and trained as a baker until the end of the war.

In 1948, the townspeople returned to Forst which was then controlled by the Soviets. Herb and his friends were quickly drafted by the Soviets to become border patrol guards. His group consisted of 21 young men, divided into three groups of seven. The group, who did not aspire to part of the Soviet army, devised a scheme to escape. A short time later, each group of seven would leave its post one by one, and by the end of the day all 21 men had escaped and dissolved into the countryside. The men had escaped their posts, but they were still in Soviet-controlled Germany and had work to do. They were befriended by numerous families who allowed them to stay with them in their version of the Underground Railroad. Herb and one of his border patrol friends worked on a way to get to the U.S.-controlled part of Germany. When the night came for the final escape, a young mother and her child who he had befriended, joined Herb and his friend. It was a moonlit night, so they waited for hours in a field until a brief cloud cover darkened the skies. They then crawled on their hands and knees for nearly a mile as they made their way through the countryside in a heavily patrolled crossing until they finally made it to freedom.

While living in U.S.-controlled Germany, Herb worked numerous odd jobs while earning money with the hopes of making it west. During this period, he met a family who had extended family in Canada. Herb and his new friend, Dieter Curlis, devised a plan. Each leaving a week a part, Herb and Dieter took a long boat ride to Canada, then each caught a train to western Canada, where they met up again. Once there, they took jobs in the oil fields earning money until the ground was too cold to be drilled and there was no more work to be had. Without jobs they decided to head back east and chose to go to Montreal. In part, Montreal was chosen as the destination after pooling their money and realizing that is how far their saved money would take them.

They stayed in Montreal for a while, each holding separate jobs. They shared a one-room apartment, with Dieter working during the day and sleeping at night, while Herb slept during the day and worked at night. Herb worked at a butcher shop making deli sandwiches for the night shift at a local manufacturing plant. During this time, Herb also worked as a picture framer, a delivery man and then got a job at Ford Motor Co., where Dieter, who started as a custodian, had been working. It was with Ford that Herb and Dieter would have the opportunity to move to the United States using their math and engineering skills as designers on special projects. Although the project for which they initially moved to the States didn't really pan out, they weren't discouraged as they were now in America and couldn't be happier.

The opportunities afforded them in Chicago were something they had never even dreamed of. After several different jobs and experiences, Herb began working in a new and expanding field of radio frequency sealing, or what is now referred to as heat sealing. He designed and manufactured vinyl bags for the space program and was able to secure numerous patents for his inventions. He started his own company and was a true pioneer in the vinyl field. He made garment bags, pouches and other vinyl products. It was during this time he attended an industry trade show and had a chance encounter with a man by the name of Ronn Unterreiner. Ronn was in a similar field and had a business in Cape Girardeau, Service Packaging. The two men discussed their shared business interest and developed a plan for Herb to move his business to Scott City and start an even larger vinyl business, which they named Blair Industries. This would be a significant venture for both and would set the stage for Herb's biggest business success.

Blair Industries opened in 1979 making binders and vinyl products on a larger scale. It soon began making vinyl packaging for audio tapes and VHS tapes. The VHS market was new with tremendous growth potential. After developing and patenting a new way to make VHS cases, Blair eventually landed a brand-new customer, Walt Disney. Disney needed VHS packaging for all of it movies, and Blair Industries was going to be its major supplier. This was big, very big. Blair rapidly expanded to more than 300 employees running VHS cases 24 hours a day, six days a week, out of a plant in Scott City. It was this account that put Blair on the map, and it became know as the leading vinyl manufacturing company in the U.S. During this time, Blair also developed and manufactured packaging for religious ministries and other large-scale producers of VHS tapes. Herb remained with Blair until he retired in 2012.

During his time at Blair and following his retirement, Herb traveled the country and the world for both business and pleasure. Herb went to China, Hong Kong, Australia and all over Europe with friends and family alike. Herb and his traveling buddy, Dominick Palombella, visited Italy numerous times. They visited very small and out-of-the-way towns and enjoyed only the finest food and wine. While in Italy, Herb was fortunate enough to take in three different events with Pope John Paul II, including two Masses in St. Peter's Basilica and one canonization of a saint. When the Berlin wall came down in 1989, Herb was finally able to return to his hometown in the former East Germany. There he was reunited with his sister, Renate, and others he hadn't seen since his escape. (Herb was unable to return to Germany when his mother passed away in 1988, as his name was still on a list of escapees.)

While there are many other stories and adventures of his life, this gives you a little better idea of who Herb was. He lived his life in a low-key manner, never looking for attention or the spotlight. Herb was truly a renaissance man, kind and gentle. He was a man who loved his family and was a shining example of how to treat others. His absence will leave a big hole in the hearts of all those who knew him

Herb is survived by his wife, Judy Bullock Graetz, and their children, Michael (Rachel) Graetz of Dallas, Lorie (Chris) Armbruster of Galena, Ohio, Joe (Andrea) Bullock of Cape Girardeau and Kevin (Shelly) Bullock of Lebanon, Tennessee. Herb is also survived by grandchildren, Taylor and Micaela Graetz, Justin and Taylor Bullock, Zack Benton and Neva and Nora Bullock; and great-grandchildren, Ava and Jackson Bullock. Herb is also survived by his sister, Renate Ludtke. Other survivors include Uwe and Anett Stock of Forst; sisters-in-law, Pat Reynolds, Jane Ingram and Jo Rodgers; along with many, many close friends.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home, with parish prayers at 7.

Funeral will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Allen Saunders officiating. Burial will be at Cape County Memorial Park in Cape Girardeau.

In lieu of flowers, Herb requested memorial contributions be made to St. Mary Cathedral School, 210 South Sprigg St., Cape Girardeau, MO 63701.

Online condolences may be shared at www.fordandsonsfuneralhome.com.