It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Norbert Molkentin on May 16, 2025, at the age of 96, only 9 days after his beloved wife Ursula. Norbert was born September 12, 1928 in Lodz, Poland, to Arthur and Lydia (Nee Albrecht) Molkentin. Norbert always spoke fondly of his childhood in Poland, and often sprinkled Polish phrases in his English and German conversations. After serving in WWII, Norbert found himself in Bremen, where he met his true love, Ursula, at a dancehall. A short time later they married, and travelled by ship to Canada to begin building a life together.

In 1958, Norbert and Ursula took the leap again to immigrate to a new country, and settled in Cleveland, Ohio. Norbert was a skilled, award-winning carpenter, and supported his family through his craftsmanship. He worked on buildings in and around Cleveland, including some of the most impressive homes in Cleveland Heights. Norbert could fix seemingly anything, and later in his life could be found under their front porch or on their roof doing house repairs. 

As Norbert and Ursula grew older, Norbert enjoyed a comfortable life provided to him by his devoted wife. He spoke highly of Ursula’s from-scratch cooking. He liked watching the news and reading nonfiction books, and loved to try and figure out how different machines and technologies worked. Norbert took pride in his grandchildren, and loved to hear what they were up to. 

Norbert and Ursula enjoyed 70 wonderful years of marriage, and are now together in heaven, holding hands and talking about the good old days in their beloved Deutschland.

Norbert is survived by his sons Oliver Molkentin (Kay), Thomas Molkentin (Theresa), and Mark Molkentin (Annemarie); grandchildren Natalie (Brett), Alexander (Casey), Emilie (Conner), Nicole (Ashley), and Max, and 5 great-grandchildren.

A celebration of Norbert and Ursula’s life will be held in September to celebrate their 71st wedding anniversary.