Max Karl Petzke III

January 11, 1954 - January 11, 2020

Max K. Petzke, III, 66, of Iron Mountain, Michigan, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, January 11, 2020, at his home. Max was born on January 11, 1954, to Max Karl Petzke II and Sally Ann (Kesterke) Petzke in St. Joseph, Michigan. Max is survived by his son, the light of his life, Vaughn Karl Petzke (who goes by “Von”), of Kingsford, Michigan. Other survivors include his four siblings: Jim Petzke, of New York City; Ann Hawkins, of Roswell, Georgia; Randi Brown, of Woodstock, Georgia; and Kerri Petzke, of South Yarmouth, Massachusetts; his three nieces: Savanna Brown, of Atlanta, Georgia; Mackenzie Hawkins, of Orlando, Florida, and Alexandra Hawkins, of Roswell, Georgia; his nephew: Sam Brown, of Woodstock, Georgia; Von’s mother, Michelle DeSimone of Kingsford, Michigan; Von's sister CeCelia Lanning of Iron Mountain, Michigan; Max's grandchildren Mackenzie Lanning and Chloe Lanning of Iron Mountain, Michigan; and his son- in-law, Aaron Lanning of Iron Mountain, Michigan. He is also survived by his crazy dog Ruger, whom Von said was his dad's second son. Max is also survived by his Aunt Cherie Dubats, of Honolulu, Hawaii, his cousin Jim Simpson of Seattle, Washington, his Newberry "family,"(who know he loved them) and so many dear friends ... many, many more than can be mentioned here. Max was a friend to all, a jack-of-all-trades, and as authentic as air. He did not mince words – you knew exactly what he thought about everything – and he was always authentic, always real, and a true lover of life that he lived with gusto. After growing up in St. Joseph, Michigan, Max served in the Air Force during Vietnam and lived in Sacramento California. Later, while attending Michigan Tech University, he fell in love with the UP of his native state of Michigan. Over the course of his life, Max mainly worked in sales, taking up his dear departed father’s profession selling school buses and equipment and later gravitating to automobiles and sales of new and refurbished antiques. He also loved real estate and worked in that field, off-and-on, over the course of many years. Max loved the finest things in life and was the kindest soul who loved his son, his dogs, cars (and their engines) and dirt bikes. Some would say he was always looking for a new adventure. He mainly spent his time with his son, encouraging him in the pursuit of motocross racing. Indeed, on most weekends, Max, Von and Von's friends traveled somewhere to ride dirt bikes. Anytime Von needed his father, Max was there, no matter how small the matter was; Max lived to indulge his boy. When Von dreamed of becoming a golfer, Max took on a part-time job at a mini-golf course back in Blue Ridge, Georgia, just so that Von could work on his short game with a Pro. This kind of act was the epitome of Max Karl Petzke, who would drop anything he was doing to help out a friend and even a stranger. Max loved the Upper Peninsula of Michigan ... his “homeland,” as he referred to it. Throughout his career, he worked in other states such as California and Georgia, yet he always remained focused on getting back to the UP. He finally made it back in December of 2019 and had recently moved to Iron Mountain, Michigan. At present, a memorial is being planned for the spring, when the snow has melted and Lake Superior has thawed. Friends and family will come together to remember Max and to celebrate his life. Anyone who wishes to help defray the expenses of Max’s funeral and memorial can reach out to Max's son, Von at: Von Petzke, c/o Michelle DeSimone, P.O. Box 2141, Kingsford, Michigan 49802