Obituary of Ray Cramer

Ray Charles Cramer, 83, passed away from complications of Parkinsonâs disease on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2010, at the home in Morgantown, W.Va. that he shared with his wife, daughter, and son-in-law.He was born June 13, 1927, in Portland, Ore., the second of seven children born to Ray Cramer, of Portland, Ore., and Anne Susanne Saucy Cramer, of Moutier, Switzerland.Dr. Cramer graduated from Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland and joined the U.S. Navy at 17. Following service aboard a seagoing tugboat during World War II, he attended Multnomah College, Lewis and Clark College, and Colorado State College, eventually earning a doctorate in education.In 1952, he married Nancy Rowena Woolum of Las Animas County, Colorado. The first of their three children was born in southeastern Colorado, where the couple were then teaching high school. Moving to Californiaâs Central Valley in the mid 1950s, they added two daughters, and he began a 38-year career at Fresno City College. First as a teacher of math and physics, and then as the Dean of the Math, Science, and Engineering Division, he changed the lives of countless students and faculty. Upon his retirement, he endowed a scholarship that is presented annually to the Divisionâs Deanâs Medallion Award winner.Dr. Cramer had a rare spirit, a joie de vivre that infused everything he did. He was a dedicated family researcher who spent countless hours writing to new-found cousins and painstakingly scanning microfiche records before the days of computer databases. He was delighted whenever he could push the family tree back another generation and tickled when he discovered tidbits such as his descent from a suspected witch.He was an exceptional athlete who loved playing and watching sports all of his life. One of his great joys was encouraging his children and grandchildren in their sports and academic careers, and guiding their personal development. His unwavering advice, as written on countless birthday cards, was âWork hard. Get smart. Gain wisdom. Spend money wisely.âHe will be remembered for his infectious smile, his vibrant spirit, and, perhaps most of all, for his unwavering devotion to his wife before and after she was paralyzed in 1983. His legacy is his abounding love, constancy, and the dignified way he faced adversity and lived a full and joyful life. He was an inspiration.He is survived by his beloved wife of 58 years, Nancy Rowena Woolum Cramer son Charles Wayne Cramer and his wife, Linda Eileen Fehr Cramer daughter Rowena Rae Cramer Boyle and her husband, Edward Jerome Boyle daughter Luann Sue Cramer Beacom and her husband, John Eric Beacom grandchildren Caroline Jean Cramer, Allison Nancy Cramer, Shannon Eileen Cramer, Richard Charles Cramer, Annelee Boyle Eakes (and her husband, Craig Douglas Eakes), Lauren Dwyer Boyle, Kathryn Rowena Boyle, James Eric Beacom, and Mitchell Ray Beacom sister and brother-in-law Lois and Fred Eggiman sister Reta Davis brother and sister-in-law George and Vydell Cramer sisters-in-law Ginny Cramer and Billie Harman many other loving members of a large extended family and numerous friends from Fresno City College and the College Community Congregational United Church of Christ in Fresno.He was predeceased by his brother Marion âMacâ Cramer, sister Betty Ann Colbert, and brother James Allen Cramer.A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010, at St. John University Parish in Morgantown, followed by a reception in the Parish Hall. A private graveside service will be held when Dr. Cramer is interred at the East Oak Grove Cemetery in Morgantown.Hastings Funeral Home of Morgantown is in charge of the arrangements.