Daniel Kramer

He was born on July 12, 1949 in Kalamazoo, the son of the late James Sr. and Doris (Stratton) Kramer. He is survived by his wife, Patricia, and their four children: Jenny (William) Oxx, Jill (Matthew) Walsh, Amy (Andrew) Kuiper, and Daniel (Allyssa) Kramer along with seven grandchildren: William and Emily Oxx, Wyatt, Jacob and Adeline Kuiper, and Ashlee and Jordan Kramer. Also surviving are three brothers: Dale (Grace) Kramer, Bruce (Sue) Kramer and James Jr. (Jason Dougan) Kramer, along with several cousins, nieces and nephews. Dan graduated from Kalamazoo Christian High School in 1967. He was a proud veteran of the United States Marine Corp and served active duty in the Vietnam War from 1969 to 1971. He was a meat cutter for several years, having worked at Family Foods, Jewel Foods, and Hoekstra Meats, all in Kalamazoo. It was while working at Jewel Foods that he met his wife, Patty, and they were married on November 6, 1976. They would have celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary this year. He changed direction with his employment and became a plant manager for Rizzo Packaging in Plainwell until his illness forced him to stop working in 2003. Dan was a quiet man with a great sense of humor and quick to give you a smile. He often dished out a little teasing to go along with that infamous Kramer grin. He was a proud father and once, while attending a training seminar, was asked the question "What is your most prized possession?" While the others in attendance answered with boat or motorcycle or car, Dan simply answered "my family". He enjoyed the simple things in life; fishing, working on cars, working with wood, having a garden and trying his hand at raising farm animals. Sitting atop his 1951 John Deere tractor that was given to him by his father was a favorite pastime. His work ethic was of the highest standard, which he passed on to all four of his children by example. Dan often bragged about his sense of determination and mind control that came with being a Marine. That quality, along with his great sense of humor, served him well throughout his last 14 years as he defied the odds against him. Visitation will be from 6-8 PM on Tuesday, Oct. 11, at Langeland Family Funeral Homes, Portage Chapel, 411 E. Centre Avenue. A funeral service to celebrate Dan's life will be held at 11:00 on Wednesday, October 12, at Grace Christian Reformed Church, 1724 Whites Road. Interment will follow in Fort Custer National Cemetery, Augusta. If desired, memorial contributions may be directed to West Michigan Cancer Center. Please visit Dan's personalized webpage for directions or to leave a condolence to his family at www.langelands.com.