Edward “Ed” James Kramer, beloved human being, age 73, passed peacefully at home on April 21, 2016 after a short and sudden illness, surrounded by his loving wife and children.
Ed was born in 1943 in Seattle, the oldest of seven children and attended school in Burien until he graduated from high school. He spent a great deal of his youth with his friend Steve Ware, building sailboats and windsurfing. He became an innovative entrepreneur, creating furniture in his teens and was instrumental in re-creating and remanufacturing the Ion chair with his father, designed for the Seattle Space Needle for the 1962 World’s Fair. He married Ann Chaney, and their three children were born while
he worked for the Ion Corporation, then American Desk. He and Ann started several businesses making velvet pillows, ties, and dipped flowers. He helped with the start-up of Source Technologies, then forged his own future with the creation of Synsor Corporation in 1971, in his garage. His partners, Gary Bullock, Jim Roodhouse, and Mark Tomlinson, remained his lifelong friends and co-owners of Synsor as it continues today to be a dynamic and thriving company that designs, engineers and manufactures retail environments for the world’s leading brands. He also started Shuttle Systems with his friend John Horning, creating classroom furniture. He cared deeply not only about his creations, but also the people he worked with, and always enjoyed the wonderful people Synsor employed. He truly enjoyed learning from others as much as he enjoyed helping others learn.
After Ed and Ann divorced, Ed married Sandra Carr. Ann died tragically with her husband Lamar Loomis in 1977, and Sandra and Ed raised their blended families, all of whom are healthy, happy, successful, genuine parents today. They divorced after 17 years and remained committed to their children and grandchildren.
In 1995, Ed and Jane met at a family gathering and spent the next 21 years building their cabin and barn art-studio in Acme. Both loved to terra-form environmentally; moving rocks, planting hundreds of trees and installing solar panels. Ed was joined by his son Matt and together they completed the Mountain Island studio. He once wrote about himself “…professionally I’m a designer and in my personal time an artist. My building spaces are my art form and also an opportunity for me to develop more sustainable, ecological and non-toxic construction approaches.” During most of his last year he enjoyed working with rocks again, carving pathways on the mountain. When he wasn’t building, his biggest joy was attending ball games, recitals and school events with his grandkids. And moving rocks so the kids could climb them of course!
Ed was a valued member of the Acme/VanZandt community. He enjoyed helping little farms get bigger, building the KAVZ radio station, supporting the community hall in VanZandt, attending concerts, dances, and his favorite – poetry night. He was part of the valley team that pointedly “discouraged” the Commerce Corridor and later the Coal (oil) Trains.
Throughout his life, Ed was an adventurer, and had visited many countries around the world with his family, believing first-hand experience was the most valuable teacher. He was a venturesome traveller; fun, friendly, wise, compassionate and generous, always eager to learn something new about the world, and himself.
He was preceded in death by his mother and father, Ruth and Gideon Kramer, his first wife, Ann Chaney, his aunt and Uncle Hildegard and Emil Schellong, his cousin Michael McDermott, and his best friend Steve Ware.
He is survived by his wife Jane Boltinhouse Kramer, his son Matthew Kramer and his wife Terri, and grandchildren Dallas and Kendall Kramer; daughter Rachel Kamb and her husband Linus and grandchildren Mason and Emma Kamb: daughter Heather Burkey and her husband Dave and grandchildren MollyAnn and Blake Burkey; stepdaughter Traci Ortiz; stepson Scott Carr and his wife Shauna and grandchildren Nicholas and Taylor Carr and Corbin Kennedy; stepdaughter Bright Hauser and her husband Larry Clarke and grandchildren Hutch and Holden Clarke; brother Paul Lawrence Nielsen and his wife Kristina; sister Brygida McDermott and her husband Dennis and nephew Jason McDermott and his wife Sonya, and niece Melissa Blanch and her husband Francisco; brother Guy Kramer and his wife Diane; sister Lydia Kramer and her partner Esteban Pulido; sister Rebecca Colello and her husband Rich and nephew Eli and his wife Jocelyn and nephew Sam Colello, and niece Robin Britt and her husband Mike; brother Milo Kramer and his wife Janet and nephews Austin and Marshall Kramer; cousin Erika Horn and her husband Bill and niece Jessika Faraboli and her husband Paolo, and grandnieces and grandnephews: Ari Colello, Bella, Naveen, and Zubin McDermott, Lucas, Galileo, Daniel, Alexa and Iris Blanch, Julia and Octavia Feraboli, and Tanya and Danielle Britt, and his former wife and children’s stepmother Sandra Miller and former son-in-law Mariano Ortiz.
Ed was a deep, sweet, funny, caring, beloved husband, grandpa, father, brother and friend and is missed beyond measure.
A Memorial/Potluck for Ed will be held this Saturday May 21, 1:00 pm at the Community Hall in Van Zandt. Also please bring a rock for the rock stack at Mountain Island.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the VERY caring Hospice of the Northwest in Mount Vernon.
