Obituary
Published in the St. Augustine Record on June 16, 2011.
Luther Emerson Kramer, 82, of St. Augustine passed away on June 15, 2011,
after a short battle with cancer of the liver at home. He was preceded in
death by his parents, Frank and Lottie Kramer, and his only brother, Frank
Waldo Kramer. He is survived by his wife of nearly 59 years, Peggy Jane
Ponce; his five daughters, Becky (Bill) Powell (Middlesboro, Ky.); Karen
Blondell (Lakeland, Fla.); Cindy (Michael) Shackelford (Del Mar, Calif.);
Nancy (Brian) Kaman (St. Augustine) and Linda (Jesus) Barrera (St.
Augustine); 14 grandchildren: Scott (Elizabeth), Brian, Vince and Jenny
Powell; Lindsay, Brett (Leslie) and Logan Blondell; Cade
Kinney-Shackelford; Cynthia, Brandon, and Kevin Kaman; and Elena, Diego and
Marco Barrera; and two great-granddaughters, Kate and Ella Blondell. He
also is survived by his nephew, Ralph Kramer (Port St. Lucie, Fla.), two
nieces, Gloria Lippard and Sharon Linhares (Ootewah, Tenn.) and one
brother-in-law, Jimmy Ponce (St. Augustine).
Born on Eleuthera Island in
the Bahamas on March 21, 1929, he immigrated with his parents and brother
to Florida in 1931. During his early childhood, he and his family worked as
migrant farmers. During his later childhood and teen years, he lived in
Stuart, Fla. He graduated from Florida State University in 1951 and went on
to serve three active and seven inactive years in the U. S. Navy as an
Ensign/Lieutenant Junior Grade. Emerson met Peggy Ponce in college on a
blind date and they married in Norfolk, Va., in 1952. Together they
traveled the United States as he finished his stint in the Navy and then
settled in Daytona, Fla., as he began his 21 year career with the J.C.
Penney Co. During his years with Penney"s, they lived in Florida, Virginia,
Alabama and Kentucky. While in Kentucky, he owned and operated a Western
Auto store, as well as several other small businesses. He moved to St.
Augustine in 1981. He and his wife owned Kramer and Kramer Realty, as well
as many rental properties.
Emerson and his wife enjoyed traveling,
dancing, dining out, watching sporting events, singing in the First United
Methodist Church choir and spending time with their family. He loved
watching the grandchildren play sports, perform in school events and excel
in their chosen careers. His legacy will be the impact he has made on the
lives of so many family members and friends through his unselfish acts of
kindness.
