A short tribute, by Steve Jordan.

Max Chorus from Streff in Luxembourg died in July, aged just 65 years old. He suffered a sudden heart attack.  I guess that none of us know how much time we have left but, 65 is no age.  My thoughts immediately go to his wife Lydia, his family and close friends who must be devastated.

In truth, I didn’t know Max well. That said, I had known him for a long time, getting on for 30 years. And it always feels particularly unfathomable when, only a few weeks ago, we had been relaxing with friends and drinking whiskey together. Max was a great guy, always smiling, always quick with an amusing anecdote and yet always serious about the industry. He was a joy to be around with a quiet, respectful manner that masked a steely determination to voice strong opinions on topics that he cared deeply about. Max was one of the moving industry’s enduring characters who will be missed widely, not only by those closest to him but by the whole international moving community.

I spoke to Max Neumann, a member of the Board of Streff and Max’s son-in-law.  He was able to add another level of detail to Max’s story.  He was born in 1959 as second-oldest son of Albert and Christa Chorus in Trier, Germany. The family had been in the moving business since 1884; Max and two of his brothers would eventually join the family firm, although Max had considered a medical career as an emergency doctor.

He met his wife, Lydia, in Trier before the couple moved to Bissendorf near Osnabrück where Max worked for the car company Karmann in HR. His first daughter was born there in 1991. Later the family moved back to Trier as Max wanted to be part of the family business having gained experience in a business where he was not naturally treated differently for being part of the owner's family. His second daughter was born in 1998.

Max always loved sports and excelled in handball especially; a sport that both he and Streff supported in different ways for many years. After his active sports career, Max volunteered in his free time and became a trainer to youth teams, teaching not only the ways of the game on the field but also supported teens to learn teamwork, fair play and develop lasting friendships. 

He also enjoyed skiing, taking his family on regular winter holidays and yearly skiing trips with friends. Having such long-lasting friendships was very important to him. He was also immensely proud to spend time with his two grandchildren, Vincent and Henry.

Max was a keen sailor, mainly on small catamarans (mostly an 18-foot Hobie cat). His favourite place for sailing was on the island of Kos, a place where he and the family returned for over 20 years and where he had just been for a 2-week holiday with his family a few weeks before his sudden death.  Max (Neumann) said that this was definitely one of his happy places and he had already planned for next year to go there again with the whole family.

“Whenever one was out with Max, one had to be prepared to wait for him to take pictures of other groups,” explained Max. “He hated to see it if someone was not included in group pictures and wanted for those people to have lasting memories of their good times with everyone in it. He was, admittedly, no professional photographer but still generously giving people something to hold on to.  This is a habit today adopted by his daughters. One of the things I admired most about Max was how he could bring people together, listen to their challenges and give advice in a calm manner.”

Sara Lyrum Kronkjaer from Aspire Mobility in Denmark, also knew Max well.  When I asked her for a comment, she said she didn’t know where to start. “How do you put plus 25 years of friendship into a few lines?” she said.  “I have had the pleasure of knowing Max for decades and what I really admired about Max was his approach to life. He was a fantastic businessman, who was really proud of his company, and truly passioned about the industry but still prioritized time to be a lovely husband and carrying father. He was always in a good mood with a big smile on his face and always cared about you and wanted to know how you were doing. The hours spend with Max over a lovely meal, a nice drink, meetings or casual conversations are endless.”

“Over the years my friendship with Max and Lydia has grown even bigger,” she said. “They came to Copenhagen to visit my husband (Ole) and I, and we also had the pleasure of visiting Lydia and Max. He was a great host, always putting you and your needs first and making sure that everything was taking care of. He always wanted to make sure that we made the best of everything. I will truly miss you and miss you at the conference Max and your welcoming smile and hugs. I honour and appreciate your friendship and I will, just like you, try to make the best of everything in life. May you rest in peace my dear friend.”

Jutta Sobolak has fond memories. “He was a very kind and very friendly man with whom I have known many years of a trustful relationship. He was always there if I need some answers within our industry and also from his human experiences. His warm and emphatic support, words and behaviour I appreciated a lot. I am really sad of his loss, which I can’t realize…. He is gone too early and I will definitely miss him. I feel a lot for his family and wish my deepest condolences! He was a wonderful and lovely person and may his soul rest in peace.”

Photos:

Max Chorus (far right) with his wife, Lydia, and Sara Lyrum Kronkjaer and her husband Ole.

Max enjoying the whiskey tasting at the OMNI conference in Dublin in May this year.