Virginia Lee Kramer

Virginia Lee Kramer of Wellsville, Kansas passed away on September 3, 2017 at the age of 98. There will be a public visitation at Wilson's Funeral Home on September 7 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. There will also be a visitation from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Friday, September 8, the morning of the funeral service. The funeral service will follow the visitation from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Both the visitation and the funeral service will be at Wellsville Baptist Church, Wellsville, Kansas. There will be a private committal after the funeral service at Deay Cemetery, Douglas County. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Wellsville Baptist Church, Wellsville Library or Wellsville Retirement Community.

Virginia was born in Booneville, Missouri February 22, 1919, as Virginia Lee Albin to William Orville and Virgie (Garrison) Albin. Her mother died when she was three years old, after which time she and her younger brother, Frank, lived with various family members and friends until the age of ten. At the age of ten she and her brother were adopted by Elson and Alwilda Thayer of Ottawa, Kansas. She grew up there and went to the Ottawa schools. In 1935 she moved to Wellsville, Kansas, and went to Wellsville High School for her junior year. While at Wellsville she met and fell in love with Richard Kramer. She returned to Ottawa to finish her high school career. She and Richard dated for two years and were married on March 4, 1939. They started a family right away which eventually grew to three sons and a daughter. After initially moving around to several rental properties for about six years, they settled on the farm that is now known as The Kramer Farm. She and Richard both worked very hard to earn a living and raise their children. Two went to college, one became a carpenter and cabinet maker and the fourth one, a farmer.

Virginia's passion was her flowers. She had irises, roses, trumpet flower, and day lilies just to mention a few. She spent many hours weeding, nurturing and pruning them. She loved her flowers for the beauty they brought to her life and for the exercise she received caring for them. She was always an excellent resource for caring for plants. She cherished the rose bush at the front door that she inherited from her father. She was also fond of irises. Her irises are being passed on in the same manner as her father's rose bush. Some have been planted at the Wellsville Retirement Community and her children and grandchildren have some.

Virginia was active in her community. She belonged to the Red Hat Club which did community
service projects, Chat and Sew, Fit and Fun, Wellsville Garden Club, Home Extension Circle, Black Jack Ladies Club and The Baptist Church in Wellsville. She was also active in her church. She served on the hospitality committee and belonged to the Berean Sunday-school class.

Virginia is survived by her son and his wife, Ben and Kathryn Kramer of Bettendorf, IA; son and his wife, Marion and Sharon Kramer of Gardner, KS; daughter and her husband Kay and Ron Weber of Owasso, OK; son and his wife, Tracy and Jo Kramer of Wellsville, KS; sister-in-law, Betty Caruthers of Mesa, AZ; 11 grandchildren; 22 great grandchildren; 6 nephews and 2 nieces. She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard Kramer, her parents Elson and Alwilda Thayer; her brother, Frank Thayer; her biological parents Virgie and William Albin; her sister-in-law, Doris Stephenson and a grandson, David Kramer in 1971.

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