Birth date: Oct 23, 1924 Death date: Jan 15, 2018
Robert “Bob” Kramer, 93, of Decatur, passed away Monday, January 15, 2018 at Heritage Health in Mt. Zion. Bob was born October 23, 1924 in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Max and Caroline (Wheeler) Kramer. He was a shoe cobbler at L Read Obituary
I love you Grandpa and am going to miss you. Now you are free and can dance on the golden floors in heaven. Please give Grandma a big hug and kiss from me.
What a wonderful post Aunt Joyce! He sure was a great, unique man. So glad I could call him my great grandpa!
To the Robert Kramer family please accept our deepest heart felt sympathy on your loss of such a good person, good neighbor and a good friend. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Charlie and Jackie Goad. (God Be With You)
Robert William Kramer 10-23-1924 —— 01-15-2018Robert was a husband, father, grandfather, and friend to many people. He never had a lot of money, he never had fame. What he did have was a huge amount of dignity and pride. Dignity and pride not only in himself, but in his family as well. He never had a high school or college education. He worked hard all of his life protecting and caring for his family with his Big Ole Hands! There wasnâ??t much he could not do or fix with those strong hands. Iâ??ve seen those hands take a car apart in the middle of a winter storm, bring parts into the kitchen and set at the table and fix what was wrong, so he would have a ride to work. Iâ??ve seen those hands build things that he could not afford to buy. Those hands lifted his children up, supported them, and kept them safe.I remember standing on those big ole hands while he lay on the floor on his back. Then he would push me up into the air and lower me back down. It kind of made me feel like I was flying! Iâ??ve seen those hands at work doing so many things.I remember my mother telling a story of how he walked through a winter storm to get groceries for his family, pulling a wagon behind him. His car wouldnâ??t run but he knew his children needed fed.He worked with those hands for many years as a shoe cobbler. If he saw you walking with a limp, he would look at your shoes and tell you exactly what you needed to do to correct it. In fact just last month he told the guy in charge at Eagle Ridge that he needed to put a leather lift in his shoe, because his ankles were turning when he walked. Dennis asked me what your dad did as a living. I told him that he was a shoe cobbler for many years, and then worked at Essex Wire, and Decatur Auto Auction. Dennis said it makes sense, he was telling me that I needed to correct my shoes, and showed me what needed to be done.Those hands, those hard working hands! He would joke and show you how fast the hands could knock a man out. He wasnâ??t kidding about that. He could swing ten times before you could blink an eye. Never a violent man, but man could he swing fast. He stole a saying, swing like a butterfly, sting like a bee. Thatâ??s me! This was my dad! He was a jokester and he always had a sense of humor.Our dad was an athlete. He played in a variety of sports from the time he was a small boy. I recall stories about him playing stick ball in the streets and alley ways in Detroit Michigan with his brother Herb and his friend Smitty. His favorite position to play was catcher when he was young. Our dad continued to play fast pitch until he was in his late 50â??s for teams here in Decatur Illinois. He was a pitcher, and man did he have one mean curve ball. I can still see the snicker on his face as he struck a man out.He also played basketball and I remember a Herald & Review clipping of my daddy flying through the air making a layup shot. Memories!!!Dad loved his sports. His favorite football team was the Rams and he never missed watching a game. When it came to basketball he was a Lakers fan.His favorite above all else was the New York Yankees. Nobody came between him and a Yankeeâ??s game on TV. He would purchase a package from the cable company each year, so he never missed any Yankee Game. We all learned as children never turn the channel when his sports games were on. That was his time after working those long hours all week. He could be sleeping and you try to turn the channel. His eyes would open and you would hear this. Iâ??m watching that leave the tv alone. Even while snoring he could tell you the score.He might not admit this to anyone, but he did enjoy watching those Cubbies win a World Series at last.He was a hunter, and loved fishing as well. The past two months of his life he did a lot of reflecting of past.Dad was a dancer, and he never passed up an opportunity to twirl a gal across the dance floor. Forever in my heart dad! I love you and those Big Ole Hands!Joyce
