Middleburgh- Manfred (Fred) Max Scharf, 72, passed away at St. Peter's Hospital on Saturday, September 30th.

He was born at the end of WWII in Nuremberg, Germany on April 20, 1945 to Johan and Friederike (Kamm) Scharf.

He learned his trade as a printer on the Heidelberg printing press, and in 1964, at the age of 18, emigrated to America with his stepmother Gertrude (Kluglein) Scharf. He learned English and lived in Long Island, and enjoyed boats, cars and CB radios. He became an American citizen in 1970.

He worked as a printer, and on the weekends enjoyed driving upstate to help his aunt, uncle and cousins on the Risse farm in Middleburgh. In 1979 he moved to Middleburgh with his wife Kathleen (Kalwite) Scharf and daughter Kristina. There he worked as an armed security guard for various agencies, a truck driver for LP Transport, and finally, after pursuing his interest in computers, as a computer programmer/analyst for the New York State Police. He retired from the NYSP in 2010, and enjoyed tinkering with computers, watching German language television, listening to oldies, and reading Westerns.

Manfred's family includes his daughter Kristina; his granddaughter Eva; his stepsister Marianne Trautmann and niece Caroline Wills; his half-sister Trudy Holzinger, her husband Duane Holzinger and niece Nina Garza; his former wife and friend Kathleen Scharf and close cousins, the Risse family.

A memorial service will be celebrated at 6:30PM on Friday, October 13, 2017 at Coltrain Funeral Home, LLC., 134 River Street, Middleburgh, NY.