- Date Of Birth: November 6, 1927
- Date Of Death: August 13, 2020
- State: Michigan
A special, kind-hearted, true gentleman received his wings Thursday, August 13, 2020. Don was born November 6, 1927 in Watervliet, MI, to Carl and Gertrude (McNeil) Ramer. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and wonderful friend to those who knew him and will be dearly missed by all.
He had a great sense of humor, loved talking to people, sharing his stories, and we will cherish all the moments we had with him. Don was a hard worker and proudly served in Naval Aviation as a radio operator at the end of WWII. After his service he was employed at National Water Lift (Parker) for over 30 years. He became supervisor of the Flex Shop, where he was proud to be involved in prototype manufacturing of shock absorbers used on the lunar lander. He retired in 1989 and promptly began driving cars for the Greater Kalamazoo Auto Auction in Schoolcraft.
He worked there for over 25 years and became affectionately known as “No Stop Ramer.” Don was honored to be heavily involved with the Vicksburg Lions Club for 47 years, serving as Treasurer for many of those years. When it became apparent that he could no longer serve in the way he wanted to, he graciously stepped aside. At this time, his fellow Lions members wanted to honor him with a lifetime membership but he declined, as that would have required a monetary payment to Lions Club International. He requested those monies be used in the Vicksburg community to provide for those in need and the charitable organizations the club supported. Don loved to work outside and took great pride in caring for his house and lawn. He also loved building scale models of WWII aircraft and tinkering with N-scale model trains.
He looked forward every year to the Vicksburg Summer Festival (Lions Club B&B) where he insisted on being the beer pitcher washer. Don is pre-deceased by his wife, Ruth, his parents, 1 brother and 2 sisters, and his daughter- in-law, Karen S Ramer. Those who will forever cherish his memory are his children Ron (Dru) Ramer, Marcia Ramer, and Jim (Wanda) Ramer; grandchildren Jenny (Vince) Doepker, Jason (Natalie) Ramer, Sara (Scott) Palmer, step-granddaughter Stacey (Brian) Vogl and family, along with 3 very special tag-a-longs named Carly Domurat Hansen, Rex Harding and Chelsea Harding; great¬grandchildren Max and Annabelle Doepker, Allison and Brooke Ramer and Taylor Palmer. The family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks and gratitude to Beth, Don’s caregiver, for the gentle and loving care she provided.
