Frank Lloyd Kramer

Frank Lloyd Kramer was born and grew up in a small south Louisiana town full of colorful characters who made music, shared tall tales around the dinner table, and had a passion for food. His mom Marguerite was one of those colorful characters, and his dad Frank Sr. was a big kid at heart. Frank had an older sister, Sue, and younger twin brothers, Kenneth and Karl, whom he terrorized at every opportunity. After growing up and graduating from LSU, he left Louisiana to become an officer in the US Navy.

He was a veteran of the Vietnam war, and traveled throughout Southeast Asia, which awoke his curiosity and compassion for different people and cultures. His home was filled with books, and he read every one of them: classic literature, philosophy, history...and lots of spy novels. He loved meeting and learning from people whose backgrounds were different from his. He devoted himself to the service of others, especially kids. He earned recognition and awards for his community service but was most proud of making kids smile at one of his whimsical poems, like ""The Ice Cream Steam"" or ""Eat A Car.""

Frank was a devoted father. He raised his daughter Liz as a single dad. He inspired her to start her own business, get into yoga, and live a life that made her happy. He was so much more than a father to her; he was teacher, coach, friend, travel buddy, and most of all, role model. He was a loving father-in-law to Jason and grandpa to Brady. He picked Brady up from school every week and never missed his baseball or basketball games. Frank loved his family and treated his nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, and their kids like they were his own. He frequently traveled to spend time with them, tell stories, watch college football, and laugh.

Frank met his soul mate Lynn when he was 54. The evening they met, she agreed to dance with him, and his life was never the same. They enjoyed 20 magical years of marriage. Frank and Lynn danced (literally) through good times and tragedies, building a love that will last forever.

Frank was active throughout his life. He loved hiking, skiing, running, yoga, cycling, and especially pickleball . The social interaction with friends he made was his favorite part. Even though he loved to compete, he would always give the advantage to his opponent when a shot was in question.

Frank had a twinkle in his eye that made you think he was keeping a juicy secret. He was. He knew how to live in the moment, every moment. Whether he was competing in a joke telling contest, learning to dance the tango at age 60, getting into mischief with his 9 year old grandson, hiking Mt Kilimanjaro with his daughter, or feeling the sand tickle his toes on an early morning beach walk, Frank lived every moment of his life to its fullest.

Frank had a presence and magnetism that made people just want to be around him. ""My life is richer for knowing him"" is a sentiment shared by so many people he knew. That's a life well lived.

Please join our virtual gathering to celebrate Frank’s life on Sunday, May 17 at 3 pm MT, 5 pm ET. Click here for more information.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the St Joseph Emergency Relief Fund, to support the wonderful healthcare heroes who cared for him, or to Court Appointed Special Advocates, an organization to which he gave his time and heart to help kids in need.

Please leave a comment as condolence for his family below.