Robert F. Cramer passed into new life on January 2, 2022. He was born on June 12, 1935 in Burrville NY, the first child of Carleton G. and Margaret (Marvin) Cramer. After the birth of their next child, the family moved to their heritage farm near Tylerville, NY. Bob attended Copenhagen Central School and graduated Valedictorian of the class of 1949.
Bob Cramer was ordained to Christian ministry in 1957 after earning a BA in journalism and English literature at Syracuse University (1953) and Master of Divinity at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School (1957). His Master of Arts in Information Management came from Syracuse University in 1973. He has been a pastor and youth minister, a writer and editor, director of media and information for a global mission agency, information officer for the World Association of Christian Communication in London, England, and information management consultant to the World Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, IDOC International Documentation Center, and InterPress-Rome. He has been a consultant to the Presbyterian Church (USA), United Methodist Communications, and other religion-communication organizations. From 1982-1997 he published commercial-intelligence newsletters on food and wine, management of religion communication, small-group media, and an electronic database of mainstream Christian news releases updated daily. He, with his wife Judy, was active in First Congregational United Church of Christ in Santa Rosa, California.
Besides his parents, Bob was predeceased by their beautiful 4-year-old son, Kern Silvernail Cramer.
Survivors include his wife of 44 years, Judith Kern Cramer; ‘foster’ son Erik Kosmerl, Stockton, CA; siblings Donald M. (Phyllis) Cramer, Parkland, FL: Nancy Cramer Gates, Lisbon, NY; Janice R. Cramer, Medina, NY.
Celebration of Life arrangements to be announced at a later date, subject to Covid regulations. At that time, there will be an online opportunity as well, on YouTube or Zoom.
Arrangements for cremains will be private, with gravestone marker placed in South Rutland Cemetery, Tylerville, NY.
Memorials may be made to the Bob Cramer Memorial Fund at First Congregational United Church of Christ, Santa Rosa, through fccsr.org/giving or at Syracuse University, Newhouse School of Public Communications at wdt.me/Newhouse.
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Robert "Bob" Cramer passed away peacefully on January 2, 2022, at home with his wife nearby. He was known for his ready smile, outgoing warm friendly way, his sense of humor and his super intelligence! He was 89. Born June 12, 1935, in Burrville NY, the first child of Carleton G and Margaret (Marvin) Cramer, and raised in Tylerville NY. Bob was Valedictorian of his high school class of 1949. He attended Syracuse University (Class of 1957) on a full scholarship, Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School (1957), and earned MA in Information science at Syracuse University (1973). He has been a pastor and youth minister, a writer and editor, director of media and information for American Baptist Global Missions, information officer for the World Association of Christian Communication in London, England, and information management consultant to the World Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, IDOC International Documentation Center, and InterPress-Rome, in Rome, Italy. He has been a consultant to the Presbyterian Church (USA), United Methodist Communications, and other religion-communication organizations. From 1982-1997 he published commercial-intelligence newsletters on food and wine, management of religion communication, small-group media, and an electronic databases of mainstream Christian news releases updated daily. He was a foundational member of Ecunet, an ecumenical online network long before the Internet was public. He met his wife Judy in 1975 in Rome and she brought him home as a souvenir after a crazy, whirlwind courtship. Bob was active with The Jesus Seminar and his dear Church Family at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Santa Rosa, CA. Bob was a wonderful cook and wine connoisseur, and even had his own wine show called "The Fearless Taster" on KSRO in the late '70s. Besides his parents, Bob was predeceased by their beautiful four-year-old son, Kern Silvernail Cramer (1986). Survivors include his wife of 44 years, Judith Kern Cramer, foster son Erik Wesley Kosmerl, 38, siblings Donald M (Phyllis) Cramer, Parkside FL; Nancy Cramer Gates, Lisbon NY; Janice R Cramer, Medina NY.
Burial will be in South Rutland Cemetery, Tylerville NY. A celebration of Bob's life will be a Memorial Service on Zoom by First Congregational Church of Santa Rosa. Saturday, February 19 at 11am. Go to https://fccsr.org for the Zoom link. Memorials may be made to the Bob Cramer Memorial Fund at First Congregational United Church Of Christ, Santa Rosa CA through https://fccsr.org/giving/ or at Syracuse UniversityNewhouse School of Public Communication click then click "give" https://newhouse.syr.edu/
Published by Press Democrat from Feb. 9 to Feb. 13, 2022.
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/coral-springs-fl/donald-cramer-11724858 Donald M. Cramer
A U G U S T 1 1 , 1 9 3 5 – M A R C H 2 2 , 2 0 2 4
Kraeer Funeral Home & Cremation Center
PARKLAND, Florida – Donald Marvin Cramer, 88, widow, father, and grandfather, passed
away Friday, March 22, 2024 with family at his side. He was born in Black River, New York,
on August 11, 1935 to Margaret Elizabeth Marvin Cramer and Carleton Gonya Cramer. He
grew up on a family farm in the small township of Rutland on the outskirts of the village of
Tylerville in upstate New York.
Don graduated from Copenhagen Central School in 1953 and attended Syracuse University where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering in1957. After graduation, he worked for Sikorsky Aircraft in their helicopter division in Stratford, Connecticut. While at Sikorsky, Don got his master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at New York University in the Bronx and later got his MBA. In 1962, Don leftSikorsky and accepted a job at General Electric in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. In 1967,he married Phyllis Cameron Cramer, and together they raised their children. Don went onto work for Martin Marietta in Orlando, Florida and later Rockwell International/Boeing inthe missiles division in Columbus, Ohio and then Duluth, Georgia where he developedmissile systems. His kids got a kick out of saying their father was indeed a rocket scientist.
He retired in 1999 and traveled the world extensively with Phyllis for the next 15 years.They loved traveling and enjoyed creating art together, even while globetrotting, withPhyllis helping Don with colors as he was color blind. Even after nearly 55 years of marriage, the two of them still held hands and kissed every morning and night up until Phyllis’ passing in October of 2022.
Don’s love of working with wood started when he was a teenager as he interned every summer with his Uncle Charles who was a carpenter. After that, Don seemed to always be building something. In the late 1960’s, he built an A frame two story cottage in the Pocono Mountains by himself where the family spent weekends and vacations.
After Don retired, he started to do woodcarving which became a passionate and creative hobby for him. He taught woodcarving and wood burning for years at the Roswell Senior’s Center in Atlanta and was a popular teacher as his enthusiasm and passion for carving was contagious. On all of his trips, he found places to set up his tools and carve often overlooking a beautiful vista or old world architecture.
Over the years, he sold many of his carvings and gave others away to family and friends across the country. Around the Aston Gardens grounds, various carvings of Don’s reside in the trees and on benches. He always enjoyed talking with others about his craft andcurrent projects.
After he retired, Don also started family reunions in up state New York with his siblings,organizing these with his youngest sister, Janice. Usually, Don rented a B&B or a house forthe family to gather for a few days. Spending this time with his kids and his siblings andtheir families meant the world to Don and he loved the cooking, family meals, singing, and laughter. When not cooking, he was often found whittling away on the front porch, working on his current project. It became a tradition that after each family reunion Donand Phyllis would spend a week or two with their two daughters, Sandy and Sherry. Over the years, they explored places up and down the east coast, Don still always teaching the girls about history, geology, photography or wood carving. Son Len and his family sometimes joined on these east coast trips. These were treasured times. Don encouraged his kids to follow their dreams and helped Sandy become a photographer; he was very proud when she started to teach photography to mentally ill people in her area.
Playing bridge was another hobby of Don’s. He usually played every day at lunch time with a group of colleagues while working at Boeing. In addition, he and Phyllis enjoyed playing bridge for years with friends. Once the pandemic hit, they began doing puzzles and spent hours every day working on a puzzle off and on throughout the day. Don continued this daily activity until recently.
Don’s love, his creative artistic side, and his fatherly caring has touched the lives of many, and his spirit lives on through us.
Don is survived by his children and grandchildren: Sandy White in Ohio, Len Cramer and his wife Adriana and sons Sam and Josh in Florida, Sherry Dumont and her husband Ron in California, David Cramer and his wife MaryAnn and son Sean and daughter Kailyn in North Carolina, Scott Owens and his wife Kathy in Massachusetts, Doug Cramer and wife Erin in Pennsylvania and son Ben and daughter Maddie.
Don is also survived by his younger sisters Nancy Gates and Janice Cramer both in upstate New York. His predeceased sibling was older brother, Robert Cramer, who passed away inJanuary, 2022.
Celebration of Life services are pending.
Search for DignityMemorial.com and enter Donald Cramer.
Phyllis Jean Cramer
MAY 22, 1932 – OCTOBER 28, 2022
IN THE CARE OF
Phyllis Jean (Cameron) Cramer passed away peacefully at home in Parkland, FL on October 28, 2022 at the age of 90.
Phyllis is survived by her husband, Donald Cramer, her three children, Sandy White (Athens, OH), Len Cramer (Parkland, FL), Sherry Dumont (Menlo Park, CA), and her sister Linda Boice (Kirkville, NY).
Phyllis was born in Cortland, New York to Samuel and Ruth Cameron. She graduated from Providence College in Rhode Island with a degree in Christian Education in June 1954. After graduation, Phyllis worked as Director of Religious Education at the Fourth Baptist Church in Providence and then moved to Chicago in 1956. She worked at the Baptist Headquarters as the Director of Education of all 96 American Baptist Churches in Chicago, one of her proudest accomplishments.
In 1967, she married Don Cramer. After moving to Orlando, FL and then Westerville, OH, she began working as a realtor. After two years, she had become a broker. She established her own real estate practice and real estate school in Atlanta, GA. Phyllis loved helping others in her field and teaching. She enjoyed her career and kept working until she was 74 years old.
Her children remember her as a supportive and loving mother, always encouraging them to pursue their dreams.
Phyllis was an accomplished artist and gifted painter. Her paintings hang across the country in the homes of her family and friends. She and Don loved traveling the world and captured its beauty in pictures, which often became the subject of her paintings. She and Don also loved playing Bridge over the years, including at Aston Gardens, where Don still resides.
A Celebration of Life service is scheduled for 10:30 am on January 21, 2023 at The Inn at Aston Gardens, the Aston Gardens Assisted Living facility, located at 9423 Aston Gardens Court, Parkland, FL 33076. Pastor Reuben Ramsaran from Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale will officiate the ceremony. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Phyllis’ life or join us remotely via a Live Stream link that will be sent out to family and friends the first week of January.
The family would like to thank the caregivers and administrative staff at Aston Gardens.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to your favorite church or charity. Remembrances and condolences may be shared via the Add a Memory Button (below).
Please view the links below to view the services held for Phyllis Cramer.
To watch a short movie of Phyllis’ life, please use this link:
https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0f5nhQSTl9TFV
Beautiful photo memories thoughts here: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/coral-springs-fl/phyllis-cramer-10989615