Obituary: Rev. Dr. Howard W. Kramer, former president of Concordia, St. Catharines

Kramer

The Rev. Dr. Howard William Kramer, former president of Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, died on Feb. 4. He was 100 years old.

Kramer was born in Uniontown (formerly Paitzdorf), Perry County, Mo., on June 3, 1924, to William and Renata (Welp) Kramer. His father was a descendant of the Saxon immigrants who came to Perry County in 1838 and 1839, playing a key role in the founding of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). His mother was also from Perry County.

Kramer attended St. Paul’s Lutheran Academy and College, Concordia, Mo.; Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (B.A., M.Div., S.T.M.); the University of Louisville, Ky. (M.A.); and the University of Michigan (Ph.D.). He served parishes in Carthage, Mo. (Faith Lutheran); Louisville (Pilgrim Lutheran); and St. Louis (St. Paul’s Lutheran, Des Peres, Mo.). In 1966, he joined the faculty of Concordia College (now Concordia University) Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, Mich., where he taught English, New Testament and humanities.

In 1977, Kramer became Concordia, Ann Arbor, academic dean and also served as interim president of the college for a seven-month period. In 1984, he accepted the position of president of Concordia Seminary, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, and served in that capacity until his retirement in 1990. After retirement, he and his wife, Valerie (Moeller), whom he married on June 27, 1948, lived in Albuquerque and Las Cruces, N.M.; Columbia, Mo; and Norman, Okla. After Valerie passed away in 2020, Kramer returned to Columbia. He assisted several congregations in pastoral vacancies during his retirement.

As a seminary student, Kramer was an announcer, newscaster, program writer and assistant production manager at KFUO Radio, the Synod’s broadcast station in St. Louis. He also served as occasional announcer for “The Lutheran Hour” when it was broadcast live from the KFUO studios to the over 900 stations of the Mutual Broadcasting System.

During his professional life, Kramer was a member of the Board of Directors of the LCMS Central District and district secretary and member of the Board of Directors of the LCMS Michigan District. On the national level, he served as a member of the LCMS Leadership Training Committee. In 1989, he was the “designated theologian” of Lutheran Church—Canada at the International Lutheran Conference in Seoul, South Korea. He led two tours to the Luther sites in Germany. He was the recipient of Concordia, Ann Arbor’s 1986 Christus Primus award. His published writings include several series in Portals of Prayer, My Devotions and similar publications, as well as articles for magazines and journals. He also published a genealogical study, The Kramers of Paitzdorf, Germany and Perry County, Missouri, which won the 2003 Award of Merit (for a major work) from Concordia Historical Institute.

In an article on the Concordia, St. Catharines, website, current seminary president Rev. Dr. Thomas Winger spoke of Kramer’s early influence, as its first president, on St. Catharines: “He carried on the foundational work of Dean Humann by strengthening our ties with Brock University, increasing financial support and calling the great faculty members that taught us in the late ’80s and ’90s. He took a keen interest in all of us, which continued long after he left St. Catharines.” Current faculty member and registrar Rev. Dr. Thomas Korcok, recalled being Kramer’s student: “He was a kind and gentle theologian who modeled for us a true shepherd’s heart.”

Kramer is survived by his children Judith (Roger) Van Andel, Lake Elmo, Minn.; Ruth (Ade) Zielke, Woodstock, Ill.; Jonathan (Jill) Kramer, Nixa, Mo.; and Michael (Carla) Kramer, Columbia, Mo. He is also survived by his sister, Arlene Behmer of Little Rock, Ark.; 13 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to the Kramer scholarship funds at Concordia, St. Catharines, or Concordia, Ann Arbor. Contact St. Paul’s, Des Peres, for more information (stpaulsdesperes.org).

Posted Feb. 26, 2025