He was born August 28, 1949 at Dodge City, the son of Marvin A. "Squirt" and Ola Mae Townsen Kramer. A lifetime Gray County resident, he was with the Gray County Sheriffs Department for 33 years and had been Sheriff since 1985.

He was a member of St. Stanilslaus Catholic Church, Ingalls and belonged to the Kansas Sheriffs Association, Kansas Peace Officers Association and Kansas Narcotic Officers Association.

On February 6, 1971 he married Bev Hornung at Windthorst, Kansas. She survives.

Other survivors include: his son, Curtis, Cimarron; 2 daughters, Kim Coast and husband Mike and Kelley Snodgrass and husband David, all of Cimarron; 2 brothers, Marvin and wife Julie, Garden City and Jim and wife Jean, Cimarron; 2 grandchildren, Alec and Kacee Coast, Cimarron; 3 brother-in laws, George Hornung and wife Sandy, Olathe, Denis Hornung and wife Kathy, Cimarron, and Dave Hornung and wife Gloria, Ottawa; 8 sister-in laws, Julene Konrade, Connie Thomas and husband Ralph, and Pat Unruh all of Dodge City, Trudy Clark and husband Kelly, and Judy Sander and husband Bill all of Cimarron, Gwen Simmons and husband Mike, Sublette, Deb Duesing and husband Phil, Garden City, and JoAnn Temaat, Wichita.

He was preceded in death by his parents, 4 brother-in-laws, Les Hornung, Gil Konrade, LaVerne Unruh, and Glenn Hornung and 2 nephews, Adam and Aaron Sander.

Vigil Service will be 7:00 pm Thursday, August 24, 2006 at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church, Ingalls. Funeral Mass will be 10:00 am Friday at the church with Fr. Joseph E. Bahr presiding. Friends may call from Noon to 5:00 pm Thursday at Burkhart-Ziegler Funeral Chapel, Cimarron. Burial will be in the Cimarron Cemetery, Cimarron.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorials to Kansas Sheriffs Association or Hospice of the Prairie both in care of Burkhart-Ziegler Funeral Chapel, P.O. Box 446, Cimarron, Kansas 67835. Condolences may be sent to www.burkhart-ziegler.com.