A World War II Veteran Kenosha Has Called Its Own for Decades Turns 100
Max North, a Kenosha WWII veteran, has a simple way of putting it into words.
“You don’t turn 100 every day.”
Max, who is also a Kenosha community fixture, marked his centennial Friday at the American Heroes Café at Festival Foods, surrounded by family, fellow veterans, elected officials, and the regulars who gather weekly at the café in his honor. His actual birthday falls on Saturday, June 27, but the celebration came one day early, and North seemed to take it all in stride.
Kenosha County Executive Samantha Kerkman and Mayor David Bogdala were on hand to present county and city proclamations. State Sen. Bob Wirch and Rep. Tip McGuire gifted North an American flag that had been flown over the Wisconsin State Capitol.
“This is truly a remarkable honor — to get to that triple digits we all strive for, and to do it with such compassion, grace, and service to the community,” Kerkman said. “That’s what makes it so special for all of us to be here today.”
From Indiana Farm Country to the Pacific Theater
North was born on June 27, 1926, in LaGrange County, Indiana. He enlisted in the Army on April 18, 1945 — in the final months of World War II — and departed for Japan by ship on October 7 of that year, around the time the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Once on the ground, his mission was to disarm cannons.
He received an honorable discharge on January 10, 1946, in Yamagata, Japan, earning the American, Asiatic-Pacific, and World War II Victory service medals.
After returning home, North studied agricultural engineering at Purdue University. He went on to work at Massey Ferguson and then spent decades at J.I. Case in Racine, rising to upper management and overseeing overseas production. That work took him around the world — including meetings with leaders in China and the Soviet Union on agricultural modernization.
Family, Kenosha, and a Century Well Lived
North and his late wife, Nancy, were married for 47 years. Together they raised two daughters, who brought them four grandsons and seven great-grandchildren.
After retiring to Arizona for several years, North returned to Kenosha to be near family — a decision that has made him a regular presence at the weekly veterans gathering at the American Heroes Café.
His grandson, Adam Graf, was seated beside him during Friday’s celebration. Graf has shared one of North’s most meaningful recent experiences: an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., together.
“It’s awesome,” Graf said. “I got to go on an Honor Flight with him and share that experience, so to see all the people here celebrate his service and his life, it’s humbling.”
Mayor Bogdala connected North’s milestone to the country’s own approaching 250th birthday, putting the room’s sense of gratitude into words.
“As we get ready to celebrate the 250th birthday of the greatest country in the world, we do that because of people like Max and every single person in this room,” Bogdala said. “You are the heroes that make us who we are as a nation.”
A Century of Service Recognized
For anyone who has shared a Friday morning at the American Heroes Café, the scene on June 26 wasn’t entirely surprising. North has long been a familiar face at the table. What was different on Friday was the cake, the proclamations, the Capitol flag, and a room full of people who wanted to make sure he knew what his century of living — and serving — has meant to this community.\n\nThe American Heroes Café meets weekly at Festival Foods in Kenosha. Veterans and community members are welcome to attend.
