Hank Kramer

356 Porsche-related discussions and questions.
Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
Curt Dansby
356 Fan
Posts: 462
Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2008 9:50 am
Location: Charlotte, NC

Hank Kramer

#1 Post by Curt Dansby »

Dear Friends

It is with a heavy heart that I share the news of the passing of Hank Kramer. Hank was an original owner of a 1963 S-90 Cab and he was featured in Volume 41, Number 3. If you read or go back and read that feature you will know that Hank was a man of the world and he had great confidence in his steed. He was a retired pharmacist, not a mechanic but he believed that the Porsche Gods would see him there no matter the distance.
I first met him at the Akron ECH and we also spent time at the Heartland Holiday and most recently at the Ocean City ECH. After two knee replacements and at his advanced age Hank drove his car from Watkins Glenn, NY to all these events and he told me he was planning to drive to the WCH in Flagstaff. I had the benefit of spending time with him at a non-Registry event and feel I came to know him well. He was a kind soul with a great spirit of adventure.
Hank loved his car and the collegiality this club afforded him. Despite the fact that he could be a pain in my butt, I could not help but love him and his absence will be apparent at future events.

My thoughts go out to the family as well as Gisela(Hanks right side seat mate in the Cab for the past several years)

Godspeed Hank. There is no ethanol diluted gasoline in Heaven.

KTF
C
Attachments
Hank.jpg

User avatar
Mike Wilson
Classifieds Monitor
Posts: 11492
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 4:37 pm
Location: SW Los Angeles

Re: Hank Kramer

#2 Post by Mike Wilson »

My sincere condolences to his family and friends.

Mike
Mike Wilson
Lomita, CA
'63 B coupe

User avatar
Bruce Smith
356 Fan
Posts: 1624
Joined: Sun Jun 19, 2011 9:47 am
Location: Rochester, NY
Contact:

Re: Hank Kramer

#3 Post by Bruce Smith »

I too had the pleasure of knowing Hank. A genuinely nice man. I'm glad he had the recent opportunity to share his history of his beloved Ivory cab. Thanks for posting Curt.
Bruce Smith

User avatar
John Weyand
356 Fan
Posts: 389
Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2010 7:48 pm
Location: Carroll County Ohio

Re: Hank Kramer

#4 Post by John Weyand »

I met Hank in Boston at the ECH. We rode together to the autocross in his cab following another car, stayed to flag for the host club and it took a six-pac and several stops to find our way back to the host hotel. I could always tell when he was having issues with his car by his surprise phone calls. Traveling with him to Iowa was was our last adventure together (it took several quarts of oil in his cab). His ability to meet people was a rare quality that allowed him to travel wide and far and still get back. I told him after his magazine article that we would post a sign on the front porch "Hank Kramer slept here". My first meeting of Curt was finding Hank at the Akron Holiday by spotting his car and finding Curt under the hood with grease and grime up to his elbows.
A great example of the friendships created by the "Auto Bond".
John W
'64 "C" coupe

User avatar
Gordon Maltby
Registry Hall of Fame
Posts: 377
Joined: Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:45 am
Location: Twin cities
Contact:

Re: Hank Kramer

#5 Post by Gordon Maltby »

Hank was one of those guys who inspires you. I hope I have that much energy, enthusiasm and lust for life when I'm in my eighties. Having lost his wife several years ago, he continued to cultivate new friends (like me) by showing up at events with a smile and making the effort to connect. I didn't have a 356 at the 2010 Holiday so we drove around Cleveland in his cab, visiting shops and even hitting the autocross event. A few years later when I interviewed him for the Registry article, I couldn't help but interject several times, "No kidding?" He did a lot of pretty amazing things and left behind many friends and a great family. Godspeed, Hank.
Attachments
hank 3.jpg
hank 172A6818.jpg
Hank  Cleveland.jpg
 

Dick Weiss
356 Fan
Posts: 4183
Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2008 12:54 am

Re: Hank Kramer

#6 Post by Dick Weiss »

I met Hank during the Akron Holiday weekend and helped him w/his 356 which struggled somewhat during his drive to the event. I did some tuning work on the engine so he could get back home a little easier, but suggested it'll need more work after his return. He replied it did run better going home.

Very sad to hear of his passing--especially after his large article printed in a later Registry.
He's now in good hands and my sincere condolences to all of his families.

User avatar
Curt Dansby
356 Fan
Posts: 462
Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2008 9:50 am
Location: Charlotte, NC

Re: Hank Kramer

#7 Post by Curt Dansby »

Obituary for Henry Kramer
Henry “Hank” Kramer, 84, of Montour Falls, NY, left Earth for his eternal ski trip on December 8, 2018.

Hank was a fearless force of nature, continually on the search for new adventures that involved elements of danger, the chance to meet new people, or both. Born Enrico Guido Krämer, in Milan, Italy, Hank was raised in Oakland, California. After he graduated from UCSF/UC Berkeley’s pharmacy program, his first order of business was to spend 18 months exploring Europe on a Vespa scooter, with his skis and his camera. A gifted amateur photographer, he snuck photos out of Cold War Russia, which were published in a front-page spread in The Times of London.

Upon his return to California, Hank owned and operated several pharmacies, purchased a white Porsche convertible, then was lovestruck when Patricia Kelley of Montour Falls, NY, got a prescription filled at his store. Weeks later, they were engaged. They married in 1963 and went on to produce five children in seven years.

Hank and Pat moved the family to the Finger Lakes and settled on the Kelley family land in Montour Falls in 1978. Full of curiosity, Hank switched careers, taking over Crusade & Smith, an interior and exterior finishes business in Elmira. Two weeks of every winter, he set off for helicopter skiing in the Canadian Rockies. He logged more than three million vertical meters in over 30 years and was considered a legend on the mountain.

Hank’s quest for adventure knew no boundaries. If you couldn’t find him playing on his farm, he was likely road cycling, skiing, snowboarding, windsurfing, motorcycle riding, visiting his kids and grandkids all around the United States, or holding court at Porsche Club of America events. In his last two years, when he was no longer able to travel the world, he opened an Airbnb destination on his property, bringing the world to him.

Hank’s beloved wife of 49 years passed away in 2012. He is survived by his five children, four children-in-law, seven grandchildren, and two sisters.

An event to celebrate Hank’s wonderful life will take place on December 29. Please contact HankKramerMemorial@yahoo.com for details. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be sent to the Advanced Heart Failure Program at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Please allocate gifts to the Heart Failure/Transplant Res Fund, A11513. Checks payable to University of Rochester, Attn: Advancement, Box 278996, Rochester, NY 14627. Services entrusted to Royce-Chedzoy Funeral Home, Watkins Glen (www.RoyceChedzoy.com

http://roycechedzoy.com/book-of-memorie ... etails.php

Service Information
When
Saturday, December 29th, 2018
Service Extra Info
An event to celebrate Hank’s wonderful life will take place on December 29. Please contact HankKramerMemorial@yahoo.com for details.

Post Reply