CRAMER, Raleigh F. 1907-1989

CRAMER, BRATTON, GRAVES

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 1/2/2016 at 20:35:55

R. F. Cramer, REC Pioneer, Is Dead At 81

Raleigh F. Cramer, 81, of Grundy Center, passed away at 9:05 p.m. Monday evening, February 13, at Allen Memorial Hospital in Waterloo.

Services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, February 16, at the United Methodist Church in Grundy Center, with burial in Rose Hill Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Thursday, and at the church prior to the services.

A memorial fund has been established.

The Engelkes-Abels Funeral Home in Grundy Center is in charge of the funeral arrangements.

A complete obituary will follow in next week's Grundy Register.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 16 February 1989, pg 1

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R. F. Cramer Services Held

Raleigh F. Cramer, of Grundy Center, passed away at 9:15 p.m. Monday, February 13, at the Allen Memorial Hospital in Waterloo, where he had been a patient since the 7th of this month. He attained the age of 81 years, six months, and 15 days.

Funeral services were held at the United Methodist Church, Grundy Center, on Thursday, February 16, at 1:30 p.m. The Rev. D. Ward Young officiated.

Merle Mamminga sang "Softly and Tenderly" and "Sweet Hour of Prayer." The accompanist was Mrs. Jack Stumberg, who also played selected numbers for the prelude and postlude.

The casket bearers were Glen Smith, Roland Dudden, Leonard Ralston, Larry Hansen, Steve Graves, and Jerry Ralston.

Ushers were Roger Peters and Donald Palmer. Mrs. Frances Sievert and Mrs. Roger Peters were in charge of the floral arrangements.

Interment was in the Rose Hill Cemetery, Grundy Center.

Raleigh F. Cramer was born in Reinbeck on July 28, 1907, the son of William R. (Pete) and Nettie Bratton Cramer. He grew up in Reinbeck and graduated from the Reinbeck High School in 1926, and from the Coyne Electrical School in Chicago in 1936.

Raleigh and Margaret (Peg) Graves were united in marriage on April 14, 1938, in Waterloo.

The Grundy County REC came into existence largely through the efforts of R. F. Cramer. Raleigh was largely responsible for keeping the organization going during its troubled early years. He teamed up with Lew Plager to do the promotional work that gave voice and substance to the demand of rural people for electricity. Raleigh was the first manager of the REC in Grundy Center, and held that post from 1937 to 1972. He also held the position of Senior Manager among Iowa REC managers.

Raleigh was a member and past-president of the Grundy Center Rotary Club, past-president and member of the Grundy County Fair Board, member of the United Methodist Church, and the REC State Association. He was a past member of the Board of Directors of the Farmers Savings Bank in Grundy Center, and the Grundy Center Community Club.

Raleigh was preceded in death by his parents and one brother, Robert Leonard Cramer, in 1985.

He is survived by his wife, Margaret (Peg), of Grundy Center; two daughters, Mrs. Kathryn Sokol, San Bernardino, CA, and Mrs. Carol Abercrombie, of Tulsa, OK; one son, Allen Cramer, of Grundy Center; five grandchildren; one brother, Roscoe H. Cramer, Des Moines; three sisters, Mrs. Ida Mae Smith, Independence, Miss Ora L. Cramer, of Fulton, NE, and Mrs. Ona Hoeg, Indianola.

A memorial fund has been established.

The Engelkes-Abels Funeral Home in Grundy Center was in charge of the funeral arrangements.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 23 February 1989, pg 3