The funeral for Vernon E. Kramer, Wishek, ND will be Saturday, November 17, 2018 at 2:00 pm at the First Baptist Church, Wishek, ND. Visitation will be Friday, November 16, 2018 from 3:00 to 7:00 pm at Dahlstrom Funeral Home with a prayer service at 7:00 pm.  Burial will be at the Wishek City Cemetery, Wishek, ND.

Vernon E. Kramer son of Jacob J. and Lydia (Diedrich) Kramer was born November 5, 1922 southwest of Wishek, ND. Vernon lived with his family of three sisters and five brothers on that homestead until moving to Wishek in 1939.   He grew up and attended rural school southwest of Wishek, ND. He entered the Army and served his country from October 1945 to December 1946 and then re-entered the military and served in the Army national guard January 1951 to February 1952.    Vernon was united in marriage to Martha Bertsch on December 22, 1946 at Venturia, ND.  He worked for his father in the John Deere dealership business until his father retired.  He also sold Studebaker automobiles. He and his brother Lloyd continued to operate the family business.  In 1984 the business was sold, and Vernon pursued his love of farming.  Even after he retired from farming, he would enjoy going out to see the farmstead and his land.  He was always a friend of the Bees and encouraged and supported the Honey company here in Wishek.   After his retirement they would travel to Arizona and Texas during the winter months.  He was a member of the First Baptist Church in Wishek and a member of the Baptist Brotherhood, the men's choir and served 2 terms as Trustee.  He was a longtime volunteer in the Wishek Fire Department and was honored for 50 years of service.  He was the oldest remaining firefighter at that time.  Vernon was a fun-loving guy that his grandchildren enjoyed being around, riding scooter, going for boat rides and shooting off fireworks, and not just during the fourth of July!  Reminiscing, here are some of the comments that the grandchildren would recall.  My strongest memory is sitting on the curb of the house on 10 ^th St and shooting off fireworks, and with each one that went off, he would chuckle or say something about how great that one was, and always with a big smile on his face.  Second is sitting in the pickup truck and driving out to his farm and getting the history of who owns what land, and what the government is doing with crop rotation, and all of his farm knowledge in a little monologue as we drove along.

He apparently didn't filter his monologues and think that maybe a kid wouldn't be interested.  He just talked as if he were talking to a buddy of his or something! He was always eager to go out to the farm and "check on things." Then he would let us feed the trout in the tank and would chuckle and comment on trout behavior. He'd get the three-wheeler out and we would take turns riding it. Come to think of it, everything was with a chuckle.  Another granddaughter said, I didn't see him often, especially in recent years, but as a child I loved climbing haystacks and shooting guns on his farm.

We would always ride around in his truck and mess around in his shop, swing on the deer hooks, etc.  He loved watching us ride the 4-wheeler in a fun, semi-reckless kind of way.    The general consensus is that we should pick up some fireworks and shoot them off after the funeral.  Then he can chuckle as he watches us from up there!

Vernon died Saturday, November 10, 2018 at the Wishek Living Center, Wishek, ND.  He was 96 years old.

Vernon is survived by three sons, Douglas Kramer, Jamestown, ND, Clyde (Cindy) Kramer, Wishek, ND, Robert (Janel) Kramer, Wahpeton, ND and one daughter, Geraldine (Vernon) Wanner, Wishek, ND;  ten grandchildren and eighteen great-grandchildren; two sisters, Arlean Krueger, San Antonio, TX and Loretta Doering, Minneapolis, MN; two sisters-in-law, Ida Kramer, Bismarck, ND and Marcella Kramer, Bismarck, ND.  He was preceded in death by his wife, Martha, five brothers, Clarence, Klinton, Lloyd, Wilbert and Jimmy and one sister Dorothy.