John J. Kramer, Ph.D.

Born: 7/9/1931 Died: 2/15/2013 John J. (Jack) Kramer, Ph.D., age 81, of Newark, DE, a professor emeritus of electrical engineering at the University of Delaware, passed away peacefully on Friday, February 15, 2013, at his home. Dr. Kramer was born on July 9, 1931 in Pittsburgh, PA, son of the late Francis J. Kramer and Marcella (Fuhr) Kramer. He earned his BS, MS and Ph.D. in metallurgical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and served as First Lieutenant in the US Army Reserves while obtaining his advanced degrees. After receiving his Ph.D., Dr. Kramer joined Westinghouse Research Laboratories as a research engineer working on magnetic materials, and crystal and grain growth where he, along with two colleagues, received a “most meritorious patent” award from Westinghouse for their work. In 1965, Dr. Kramer joined the faculty of the University of Delaware as a professor in the Electrical Engineering Department where he continued research in magnetic materials and crystal growth that led to over 50 scientific publications. With strong interests in academics as well as research, Dr. Kramer taught a wide variety of courses in both electrical engineering and material science, and served as the chairman of the Material Science Program from 1983 to 1985. He was also an industry consultant for companies including DuPont, Martin-Marietta, Astro Power and Hercules. Dr. Kramer was active in community affairs and served on the Newark Planning Commission during the 1970s. He was chairman of the commission from 1977 to 1978. Dr. Kramer retired in December 1995. In his leisure time he greatly enjoyed travelling, any type of home repair or remodeling project, spending time with his grandchildren, golf, and sailing. He is survived by his beloved wife of 56 years, Mary Lou (Haas) Kramer; sons, John (Jack) and his wife Brenda of Avondale PA, Michael and his wife Jennifer of Newark, DE, and Kenneth and his wife Jamie of New Castle, DE; seven grandchildren, Kathryn, Christopher, Corinne, Haley, Kimberly, Kevin, and Kara Kramer; brothers, Richard, Paul, George and Anthony Kramer. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, Edward Kramer, and grandson, John Joseph. A memorial Mass will be offered at 11 am on Saturday, March 2, 2013, at the St. Thomas More Oratory, 45 Lovett Avenue, Newark, DE, where visitation will begin at 10 am. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation at www.michaeljfox.org.