Luella S. Kramer

HOLDEN/ORLEANS- Luella S. Kramer, lovingly known as Mom, Lu, Grandma Lu and Great Grandma Lu, passed away peacefully on February 16, 2024 in Orleans, MA. Lu was born on August 7, 1925 in Hartford, CT.  She is pre-deceased by her husband Henry F. Kramer, her brother, Robert Swanson and her parents, Helen and Arthur Swanson. 

Luella grew up in West Hartford, CT and graduated from The Hartford Hospital School of Nursing in 1946.  Upon graduation, she (2^nd from left in photo), and four of her nursing friends, drove to southern California, in a woody station wagon, where they

promptly got jobs as nurses, for a year or two.  

She then moved to NYC where she meet and married Dr. Henry F. Kramer in 1951. Lu and Harry moved to Caribou, Maine where they were blessed with two adopted boys, Fred and Steve and where they resided until the early 60’s. When the boys became school aged, they moved briefly to Rutland, MA and finally to Holden, MA where the family resided until 2008. While Lu completed her education at Boston University, she was the School Nurse at Wachusett Regional High School.

While Lu and Harry were avid travelers in retirement, her most cherished trips were with her grandchildren, Lauren and Jeff. After Harry’s passing in 2007, Luella relocated to Wellfleet, MA where she lived for a decade. She was an active community volunteer at the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater  ( WHAT ) and the Homeless Prevention Council, ultimately moving to The Terraces in Orleans, MA where she resided until her death. 

She leaves behind her sons, Fred Kramer ( spouse Susan Kramer ) of Plymouth, MA, Steve Kramer ( spouse Sharon Kramer ) of Fieldbrook, CA, her grandchildren Lauren Maregni (spouse Tom Maregni ) of Duxbury, MA and Jeff Kramer ( spouse Chris Kramer ) of Mooresville, N.C. She was also blessed with three great grandchildren, Maeve and Bodie Maregni and Olivia Kramer. 

Her family, along with her love of the arts, interest in global affairs, and a voracious appetite for reading, were the joys of her life until her passing. 

Luella was blessed with immense grace, dignity, and elegance and an unyielding zest for life. She had a kind and empathetic spirit and will be deeply missed by her family and the many others who were blessed to know and love her over her 98 years.

Consistent with her passion for philanthropy, Luella has donated her body to the UMass Medical School’s Anatomical Gift program.

Her surviving family members would request that in lieu of flowers, donations in her name be made to the Home for Little Wanderers, The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the American Diabetes Association, or a donation of their choosing in her memory. 

The family will hold a private celebration of life at a later date.