Esther Yvonne Kramer
July 29, 1937 - March 29, 2020
Esther Yvonne Kramer passed away peacefully in her sleep on March 29, 2020. She was 82 years old.
Esther was born on July 29, 1937 in Benson County, North Dakota to William Kramer and Christine Barnett Kramer. She married Adolph Kramer in 1955 and they had four children while living in North Dakota. The family moved to Scobey, Montana in 1965.
Esther worked as an accountant and parts manager at the family farm equipment business, Kramer Implement, from 1965 to 1983. Esther also served as the Daniels County Deputy Treasurer from 1979 to 1995 and as the Daniels County Treasurer from 1996 to her voluntary retirement in 2002.
Esther attended Dawson College in Glendive intermittently from 1977 to 1981, earning an Associate of Applied Science degree in Human Services.
Esther was active as a volunteer in many community programs. She was a member of the Daniels County Council on Aging, the Daniels County Transportation Advisory Committee, and the Eastern Montana Service Area Authority Board. She served as President of the Daniels County Affiliate of the Montana Mental Health Association, Secretary of the Montana Mental Health Association, and earned the Montana Mental Health Association Volunteer of the Year award in 1982. Esther also served as a Development Consultant for the Daniels Memorial Hospital Foundation.
While living in Scobey, she was an active member of St. Philips Catholic Church, frequently providing articles for the church newsletter. She also completed the Oblate Program at the Assumption Abbey in Richardson, North Dakota.
Esther liked to study family genealogy. In her later years, Esther took several trips to Europe to learn about her family history. She also took a trip to Israel with a Catholic church study group.
Esther enjoyed writing poetry and short stories, having several published. She used the pen name Yvon Remark. She was a distinguished member of the International Society of Poets.
Esther moved from Scobey to the Salt Lake City area of Utah in 2014 to be closer to her children. The family would like to thank the nurses and staff at Life Care Center in Bountiful for taking such good care of Esther after she suffered a stroke. She enjoyed playing bingo and watching old movies at the skilled nursing center.
Esther was preceded in death by her husband Adolph, brother Dr. Roy Kramer of St. Cloud, Minnesota, and sister Marcella Kramer of Madison, Wisconsin. She is survived by four children, John (Josephine) Kramer of Bluffdale, Utah, Paul (De Anna) Kramer of Farmington, Utah, Marilyn (name later changed to Angela) Newman of West Jordan, Utah, and David Kramer of Colorado Springs, Colorado. She is also survived by three grandchildren, Stacey Kramer, Michael Bradshaw, and Adam Bradshaw, and one great-grandchild, Coleton Kramer.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, April 3, 2020 at 11:00 AM at Saint Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, 7405 South Redwood Road in West Jordan, Utah. Committal will be at the Larkin Sunset Gardens Cemetery, 1950 East 10600 South in Sandy, Utah.
Esther's funeral will filmed and posted here for all to view shortly following her service. Please check back soon to view.
In lieu of flowers, monetary donations can be made in memory of Esther Kramer to the Daniels Memorial Hospital Foundation, P.O. Box 81, Scobey, MT 59263.
In Loving Memory
RIP Grandma. We miss and love you so much. Love Stacey and Coleton.
Stacey Kramer
Bluffdale, UT
Rest in peace dear Esther. On behalf of myself and my mother, Irene Kincannon, we send our loving thoughts and prayers. Esther rarely missed a domino session at my Mom's house. A very reserved person, she was always so observant though; it was such a delight to see her chuckle quietly to herself many times while playing, listening to others in conversation, but with a particular adorable mischievous look when she outplayed someone else:) Mom and I enjoyed travelling with Esther to Israel. I remember walking with her at the airport in Jerusalem, and both of us bent down to pet this cute little beagle dog....who suddenly started nudging at Esther's pocket. She had placed an orange in her pocket that morning from breakfast, planning to eat it later, not realizing it would not only be confiscated at Customs, but placed her and I in a different line that had to be checked separately and more thoroughly. Can you imagine Esther being a threat to anyone?!:) Of course not, but we got a chuckle out of that...teasing her to be a spy...with an orange:) My favorite memory of Esther was on the underground train at Denver airport. I was the 'young' one tending to Esther and my Mom (who was 84 at the time) through airports, crowds, etc. My Mom was proud as punch because she had been to the Denver airport before and so was going to show Esther and I around, instead of me leading. So she correctly got us on the right train, but when the doors opened at the first stop....although it was not our stop, she stepped off automatically without thinking about stop it actually was. I was trying to get her attention, calling "Mom" a couple of times first, then when she didn't respond, called her "Irene", then "Irene Kincannon". Still not hearing me, I started to panic because the doors were going to close soon, and she would be left standing on the platform by herself, not having a clue where we had gone. So I yelled "Mom, stop"...no answer. So then, for some reason, the only thing I could think of left was the command we give to our English cocker bird dogs that means the same as "stop", but English dog version is "Hup". So I kept yelling: 'Hup, Mom, Hup!!" This finally got her attention and a couple of people scrambled to hold the door open as Mom scurried to get back on the train, just in time as the doors closed and it scurried off. Meanwhile, I looked to make sure Esther was ok through this, and that she hadn't inadvertently followed Mom off the train too; but no worries.....I could hear her. For the first time, in the history of ever, I heard Esther.....not just chuckling, but laughing hysterically!! Apparently, I looked like someone who was trying to teach her dog tricks, but the dog was not having any of it:) It probably is a situation that is only funny to those who were actually there, but I remember it so well because I recall how special her laugh was. Esther was a special person, and I am rejoicing for her eternal peace now. Our condolences, however, to her family for their loss.
Lisa Kincannon-Ziegler
Miles City, MT