Obituaries : Heinz Gerd Kramer

A Family Directed Memorial will be held on January 14, 2023 at the Veterans Memorial Hall, 302 Cedar Street, La Porte City. There will be a brief Masonic Service at 3:00 pm, followed by a Celebration of Life until 6:00 pm

May 26, 1934, to November 4, 2022, was born to Joest Kramer and Gerda (m. Meyerhoff), in Collinghorst, Germany, and grew up on a farm in West Rhauderfenn, a few miles from his birthplace. He was apprenticed at age 14 to the local Metzger (butcher/sausage maker) and additionally took trade classes each week in Leer.

After completing his training, Heinz left Germany in 1954, at age 19. He earned his passage to Canada by becoming a sous chef for a year on a freighter ship, traveling from Europe, around the cape horn of Africa to Malaysia, then back again to Europe, and crossing the Atlantic to Canada.

The job promised to him by the Canadian government was not in his trade, so he found his own job at a packing house in Winnipeg, where he worked for three years. He learned more about his craft and perfected some of his own recipes while working there, especially fermented sausage making. He played as an alternate on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers professional soccer team, played ice hockey for a semi-professional team, and studied Judo at the YMCA, earning his brown belt.

He had close family friends from his hometown who lived in Sumner, Iowa, and they sponsored him to be able to come to the United States in 1957. Having a great sense of humor, he delighted in telling people that he was from Germany and came to the USA by train!

His first Job in Waterloo was at Brownie's locker. He lived as a border to a family in Waterloo, and they had invited this nice young German girl that they knew for supper one night, Heide Braun, who later became his wife and business partner.

The young couple moved to Frederick, Maryland, and Heinz worked at the Howard Lathe Packing plant when he was 25. While there, on two occasions, he processed 2 whole hogs into sausages and smoked meats for President Eisenhower. He didn't know it the first time, but later received a call from a satisfied customer, asking him if he could make certain sausages the President loved when he was growing up in Kansas. Of course, Heinz said he could.

He and Heide decided living in Maryland was not for them, and after son Joest was born, they moved back to Waterloo, Iowa, where a friend of Heinz's said he could help him get a job at the John Deere Tractor Works. While there, he operated a lathe, and since much of the machinery they had at the time was from Germany, He assisted the engineers and maintenance workers on translating blueprints and became great friends with many of them.

Always wanting to start his own business, he worked at John Deere from 1959 to 1970, and started the Kramer Sausage Company in 1964, after finding a building in La Porte City that was available. He retired at age 84. Working at Deere helped him earn the money to buy the building and equipment he needed to get started. He even built his first cooler after teaching himself about refrigeration and built his first smokehouse. In 1970, after working two jobs for 7 years, he decided that it was time to leave John Deere and concentrate on his own business. And again, his good friends from John Deere would help him with electrical and mechanical items at the sausage factory on occasion, and although they asked for nothing in return, Heinz would insist they take a box of tasty meats home for their freezer, since they also have families to feed.

Over the years, he employed many high school students from La Porte City, teaching them meat cutting and how to debone hams, etc. He always told them that wherever they go, if they needed a job, these skills would help them get one in a grocery store meat department if they needed work, because everyone must eat, even in hard times.

Heinz devoted his life to his work and insisted to his three sons that education is one of the most important things in life. He loved a good joke, meeting people from all over the world, and watching nature shows and travel shows. He had traveled to 5 continents during his life. Making ethnic sausages and smoked meats for other cultures who requested it was of great interest to him, and he took great pride being able to do this for them.

He was a member of the Freemasons, and a Past Master of his local Lodge.

He loved his dogs, Panda, Cocoa, and Ginger.

He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Heide (Braun), sons Joest (Stephanie), Dan (Jo) and Marc (Peggy), grandchildren Kevan, Karl and Kyle Kramer, Nick Luke, Heather Weidman, and great grandchildren Julien and Lennox Luke. He is also survived by his sister, Grete Preyt, in Germany, and 2 nieces, Gesa PreytKasper and Brigitte Appeldorn.

A Family Directed Memorial will be held on January 14, 2023 at the Veterans Memorial Hall, 302 Cedar Street, La Porte City. There will be a brief Masonic Service at 3:00 pm, followed by a Celebration of Life until 6:00 pm

Memorials: may be directed to the Shriners Hospital for Children or Mayo Clinic.

Locke in La Porte City assisted the family with arrangements 319-342-3131. Online condolences may be left at www.lockefuneralservice.com.