Big Kris was bigger than life. A true force of nature who will be sorely missed, and a very, very funny guy. Kris Peter Kriofske passed away at age 81 August 6, 2024 after a brief battle with cancer. While he went fast, and far too soon, he had a wonderful life. A boisterous, high-energy, fun-filled life.
Kris will forever be remembered as an entertainer (and a beautiful human being). He acted in numerous theater productions, playing the villain in Shrine of St. Anne Catholic School’s annual melodrama fundraisers in Avada, CO, and then holding major roles in big stage productions, first with the Loveland Stage Company in Ohio, and then for many years with The Garland Summer Musicals in Garland. But Kris didn’t need a stage. He was always entertaining. He was impulsive, spontaneous, eccentric. His catalog of show tunes and Irish drinking songs was deep and wide and he broke into song often—often at inappropriate times. Big Kris didn’t care. He loved the attention. He would get random strangers singing at an airport, waiting in line for an amusement ride, at breakfast on a cruise, at friends’ rehearsal dinners, returning batteries at Best Buy. It was a thing of beauty to watch him work a room. Any room. Wherever he was, that was his stage. Whoever was nearby, that was his audience.
Kris was born October 21, 1942, in Milwaukee, WI. He attended Marquette High School and Marquette University. He married his high school love, Jayne, in 1965 and started his career as a civil engineer but quickly shifted to education, teaching first at the St. Stephen Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming for two years. He and Jayne moved to Oconomowoc, Wisconsin for a short stint, and then to Arvada, CO, where he taught math and physics at Regis High School, served on the local city council and raised a bunch of kids. In 1978, he got his Professional Engineer License and began his long career as a structural engineer, moving to Cincinnati to sell post-tension steel, designing skyscrapers and massive roads and bridges, and then to Rowlett, TX in 1985, where he continued that work until his retirement in 2008. A teacher until the very end, in retirement he taught post-tension steel installation classes across the country.
While he was a brilliant mathematician, it’s hard to say if Kris’ true passion was math or art. He loved both and they were inextricably linked. He’d think it, sketch it, build it. He got a patent on a piece of structural equipment. He took fallen limbs and turned them into beautiful walking sticks. His home in Rowlett is a pseudo art gallery. He installed an old iron circular staircase in the Arvada house. He designed and poured his own concrete patios. He got a pilot’s license and flew small twin-prop planes. He put a homemade wooden camper on top of an old pickup—not a legal RV by any means but cheap and practical. This list of great and terrible creations is endless.
Sports were a big part of Kris’ life too. He played football through high school and in adulthood coached high school football, wrestling and hockey (with zero previous hockey experience he led his team to a league championship), and little league soccer. He was also a formidable tennis player and spent the last 10 years honing his skills as a pool shark.
Ooh and cribbage! Mr. Cribbage was his handle after years of organized play that eventually led Kris to out-of-state tournaments. For him, cribbage was not a card game with a board and pegs. It was life. It permeated the Kriofske household. He had boards of many shapes, sizes, colors and textures. He loved everything about the game—the math, strategy, creativity, braggery. He played it endlessly, right up until near his passing. It was one of, if not the best, ways to connect with him. If you played at all, you were a great person. If you played well, and played fast, you were in his heart forever.
Kris will also be remembered as a loving family man. He is preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Helen Kriofske, and his older sister, Karen Pollasky. He is survived by his younger brother Joel Kriofske, his wife of 58 years, Jayne Kriofske, who he adored beyond words, and their five children, Maggie Bruns (Jim), Kris S. Kriofske (Laura), Peter Kriofske (Michelle), Nick Kriofske (Christie), and Katie Malone (Mike). He was also a proud grandfather – Papa Kris – to Peter, Megan (Owen) and Danny Bruns, Isabel, Anna and Scarlett Kriofske, Cash and Duke Kriofske, and step-grandchildren Myles and Ezra Parent and Taylor and Lex Malone, and great grandchildren Lilly and Piper Owen.
A private celebration of life with family and friends will be held this fall. In lieu of flowers, the Kriofske family requests donations be made in Kris’ name to the Garland Civic Theatre (517 W. Walnut St., Garland, TX 75041, or www.garlandcivic.org, but checks are preferred; write KRIO in memo).
Finally, the family would like to thank Long Creek Assisted Living and Memory Care in Sunnyvale and Angel Valley Hospice for their passionate care.