The grief among family, friends and customers is great: The popular Erdinger master baker Max Neumaier died after a short, serious illness - at the age of only 55.
Erding - His baked goods, cakes and pralines were and are in great demand in Erding, now the passionate master baker and confectioner Max Neumaier has died at the age of only 55 after a short, serious illness.
The news of the death of the esteemed entrepreneur shocked many.
Even as a child, it was clear to little Max that he would one day take over the traditional family bakery.
He and his sister Cornelia grew up in their parents' bakery.
He was a clever man, very gifted in mathematics and attended the Erdinger high school.
Due to his father's illness, he helped out in the bakery at an early age and developed his love for baking.
At his own request, Max Neumaier therefore switched to secondary school, which he graduated as the best in his class.
He also completed the pastry apprenticeship in Rosenheim, the baker's apprenticeship in the local company and the master's examination with awards.
At the Lumpen- und Bazi-Ball in 1988 in the Gasthaus Zur Post there was a spark between Max Neumaier and his Renate.
At exactly the same event, Charlotte and Max Neumaier senior had met decades before.
Max and Renate Neumaier always remained loyal to the carnival balls and the Narrhalla, and in 1999 they were even proclaimed the Erdinger prince couple.
After the sudden death of their father in 1997, Max and Renate Neumaier took over the family bakery, which had existed since 1921, in the fourth generation.
"We ran the business together with enthusiasm, everyone had their part," says Renate Neumaier.
The passionate baker was able to live out his creativity here, constantly experimenting with new recipes, which he usually presented with the phrase "I have an idea ...".
Max Neumaier also enjoyed swinging the wooden spoon in his private life and pampering the family with a delicious three-course menu over large meals, as sister Conny reports.
If the bakery with almost 50 employees was extremely important to them, the couple also created personal freedom.
“The holiday together for skiing or hiking or just relaxing was always a highlight for us, and we also developed new ideas,” says Renate Neumaier.
They enjoyed their close relationship, but their greatest gift was the birth of their daughter Fanny in 2013. For example, the loving father, who had been interested in astronomy and weather since his youth, also brought his little daughter closer to the starry sky.
Max Neumaier was also happy to give kindergarten groups an insight into the art of baking on guided tours.
And he had a sporty side.
As a teenager he joined the table tennis department of TSV Erding, played there successfully in various teams and even became Upper Bavarian youth team champion.
"He didn't miss a point game back then," says Renate Neumaier.
As an enthusiastic skier, he also brought his Renate to the slopes, who only really learned to ski from her Max.
The two were also members of the Alpenkranzl and Skiclub, as well as being active in the Ardeo retailer interest group.
Max Neumaier had suffered from a chronic bowel disease since his youth, but he had it well under control.
He was hit hard by his mother Charlotte's stroke in 2014, which made her a need for care.
She was always a role model for her children.
The master baker, too, always had an open ear for his employees, supported the numerous apprentices in preparing for the final examination and tended to take himself back, as his wife Renate reports.
"He was a very special person, very kind-hearted, but also sociable and could tell rousing jokes", Conny Neumaier-Prey describes her brother.
Family, friends, customers and employees will fondly remember the passionate baker.
You don't have to do without the tasty breads and baked goods made according to his recipes, because for his wife Renate Neumaier it is important to continue the artisanal bakery business with the tried and tested team, "entirely in the interests of my husband," she says.
The funeral service for Max Neumaier followed by a funeral takes place in close family and friends because of the corona pandemic.
GERDA GEBEL
