Alfred Anthony Cramer

The Reverend Alfred A. Cramer died peacefully on November 23, 2020, leaving this earth on the strength of the Psalms and other prayers read to him by his wife of thirty-two years, Janet French Cramer. Janet and Al were married at the Marlboro Meeting House in 1988. They lived first in Marlboro and later in Brattleboro, where Al became a Priest Associate of St. Michael's Episcopal Church.

Al spent his life investigating the mysteries of this world and the next. He graduated from the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1962 and moved to Seattle, Washington where he served as Curate at St. Mark's Cathedral. He was ordained as a Priest on January 25, 1963. Al's work with Vietnam veterans in Seattle taught him the nature of despair contained in the human heart. He met that despair with compassion and with words from the Bible and stories from Church History.

In 1969, he was called to St. Luke's Parish in Des Moines where he served as Rector. He was the Episcopal Chaplain at Drake University and later Rector at Christ Episcopal Church in Burlington, Iowa. After completing a program in Pastoral Counseling, Al focused his attention on marriage and family therapy. In 1991, he was awarded a Masters in Social Work from Smith College, writing a thesis on rural homelessness.

In his later years, Al quietly shared his spiritual fruits with the congregation of St Michael's Episcopal Church and his family. He was known to pray for each member of the Church before retiring for the evening as well as for his four children and their grandchildren. He blessed all who visited his home with "May the Angel of Peace go with you." He had a profound love for classical music and absurdist comedy. He was passionate about politics his entire life, and couldn't go a single day without reading at least three newspapers.

Al leaves his wife, Janet, his two sons of his first marriage, David Cramer of Greenfield, Massachusetts and John Cramer of Chicago, and his daughter and son of his second marriage, Laura Cramer of Austin, Texas and Nicholas Cramer of Philadelphia, along with five grandchildren.

In Lieu of flowers, the family ask that you donate to The Gathering Place.