Jack Kramer

Jack Kramer died February 8, 2014 at the Porter Hospice Residence. He was born in Littleton, Colorado Feb. 24th 1955 to Eugene and Thelma Kramer. He had five sisters and was the third in line. He attended St. Mary's Catholic School and Mullen High School. Many of his childhood friends from his Littleton neighborhood remained his friends all of his life.
He graduated from the Colorado Institute of Art and spent his life creating art in many forms. He made a living in the graphic design field and later art direction and web development. His passion was always fine art and sketching and he graciously shared his work with those he loved.
He met Christine Capra in February 1988 and they married Oct. 8 of that same year. They were blessed with two daughters, Kateri and Hannah now 22 and 18.
Preceded in death by his mother, father and younger sister, Theresa, he is survived by his wife Christine, two daughters, sisters, Mary, Anji, Martha and Barbi and numerous in-laws, cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.
Of course there was so much more to this quiet, peaceful, extraordinary husband and father and friend. This captures nicely a bit of Jack's character as written by his sister in law, Cherie:
Jack is a peaceful guy. An artist, a fisherman, a reader—soulful and relaxed. Picture a guy fishing by the lake under a clear blue sky showing a child how to tie a fly, not a care in the world, and that is Jack. He's the guy who, when you speak to him, he really hears you. Really listens. He's not distracted by his phone or work or anything else. He's the kind of guy you envy and then wish you hadn't. How can you envy someone so kind? He has more friends than anyone but is also the most modest fellow you can find.
Since his diagnosis, one he dealt with nine years ago as well, he has had to leave his job, be admitted to the hospital 5 different times for a total of 105 days, spend Christmas surrounded by noisy machines and cold floors, suffer through a myriad of medications that caused confusion, nausea and pain, and see his wife and daughters deal with uncertainty and fear on a daily basis.
Recently, he made the decision to stop. No more of the unfulfilled promises – false hope. He spent his remaining 8 days at Hospice in a peace he hadn't found since this began a year ago. He was confident in his decision knowing his body was broken. He said, "I give this to God now, I surrender."
He did this with a grace unsurpassed but indicative of the life he lived.
Our family is blessed by the compassion and generosity of all those who journeyed with us down this path. As I have shared over the past year the writings of Henri Nouwen—whom I have gained strength from—I once again share his words:
Lessons in Loss
It is not just death that unsettles us, of course. It is the process of dying also. The slow deterioration of body and mind, the pain of a spreading cancer, the prospect of burdening friends, an inability to control our movements, a tendency to forget recent events or the names of family members, the suspicion that loved ones tell us only half the truth to "protect us"—all this understandably frightens us. No wonder we sometimes say, "I hope it won't take long. I hope I die of an unexpected heart attack and not a prolonged disease."
But no matter when or how we die, we inevitably give up an insistence on controlling the details. In death we take a jump, we let loose, surrender, give up the safe place we know as comfortable—whether we readily do so or not. Faith asks us to jump, to surrender and believe that somewhere, somehow, Someone will catch us and bring us home.
God bless Jack as he goes home.

Funeral service information:
Wednesday February 12, 2014
Ten O'clock in the Morning
Holy Family Catholic Church
4377 Utica St.
Denver, CO 80212

Reception immediately following