Father Richard R. Kramer Celebrated Almost 60 Years as a Priest
STERLING—Father Richard R. Kramer, 85, of Harmon, died Friday, May 1, 2026, at Rock River Hospice and Home in Sterling.
Father Kramer was born in Aurora, Nov. 28, 1940. He was the oldest of five children born to Raymond J. and Mary R. (Kies) Kramer. Two brothers survive him — Donald (Nikki) and Robert (Hilaire). Two siblings have pre-deceased him — Ronald (Ellen-deceased) and Barbara Jean.
He attended St. Nicholas Grade school in Aurora for his elementary education. Then he attended Marmion Military Academy in Aurora from 1954-1956. He entered the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio in Sept. of 1956. He was ordained to the priesthood at the Josephinum on May 28, 1966, by the late Cardinal Egidio Vagnozzi, then the Apostolic Delegate to the
United States.
Father Kramer’s first assignment was as parochial vicar at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Rockford on July 14, 1966. At the same time, he was assigned to teach at Boylan Central Catholic High School in Rockford for the school year 1966-1967. He was then assigned as the parochial vicar of St. Mary Parish in DeKalb from Aug. 15, 1967, to Sept. 14, 1970. During that time, he was also assigned to teach in the parish grade school in DeKalb and also at Notre Dame High School in DeKalb. In cooperation with the newly formed Diocesan Religious Education Department, he worked with an electrical engineer and helped to build a CCTV television station at Notre Dame High School.
On Sept 15, 1970, he was assigned as the parochial vicar of St. Mary Church in Elgin, also teaching at the parish grade school there. In 1973 he was assigned to graduate school at Northern Illinois University to study radio, television, film and speech communication for a master’s degree. Bishop Arthur J. O’Neill also appointed him to be the Director of Communications for the Diocese of Rockford at that time.
Father Kramer celebrated the Sunday Masses on WREX-TV in Rockford every week from 1973 until 1981.
Father Kramer was appointed administrator of St. Mary Parish in Sycamore in 1974. He received his master’s degree in May of 1975, then was assigned to Rockford where he established the Office of Communication. During that time, he was asked to serve as administrator of a number of parishes including St. Catherine, Freeport; St. Ann, Warren; St. John the Evangelist, Hanover; St. Catherine of Genoa, Genoa and St. Thomas Aquinas, Freeport.
In the August of 1978, he became administrator of St. Flannen in Harmon and St. Mary in Walton. In June of 1979, he was made the pastor of Harmon and Walton and would stay there until 1992, also teaching part-time at Newman Central Catholic High School in Sterling from 1979-1992. In June of 1986, he also became pastor of St. Patrick, Maytown, from 1986 to 1992.
He was assigned as administrator of St. Mary Parish, Rockford from 1992 to 1993 then became administrator of St. Joseph Parish, Harvard, and was pastor from 1994 to 2003. From 2003 to 2011 he served as pastor of St. Mary Parish in Oregon until his retirement when he made his home in Harmon until the time of his death from pancreatic cancer.
Father Kramer served as secretary of the Presbyteral Council for almost 40 years and was the director of the diocesan NAIM ministry to the widowed. He was also the spiritual director of the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women from 1988 to 1990.
He was inducted into the Order of the Equestrian Knights and Dames of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem in 2001. He was knighted in the fall of 2001. As Pilgrim Master he led four pilgrimages to the places sacred to Jesus in the Holy Land and was awarded a special shell of St. James by the Patriarch of Jerusalem. Father Kramer was also honored with the Bronze Palm of Jerusalem for his labors and celebrated his 45th anniversary of ordination in Capernaum in 2001 by celebrating Mass over the house of St. Peter. He also earned the position of Knight Commander in the Order.
Father Kramer was also active in the Knights of Columbus, a member of the fourth degree for over 50 years and most recently served as the Faithful Friar of Assembly #1702 in the Sterling Deanery where he lived.
He made his Cursillo weekend in 1970 along with his dad where he later became active and was spiritual director for several groups.
In the secular world, Father Kramer also served as the president of many clerical associations in the towns and cities where he served and worked as president of the Chambers of Commerce in Harvard and Oregon.
Father Kramer also was a very loyal alumnus of the Pontifical College Josephinum and was voted President of the Josephinum Alumni Association in 2005 for a 10-year term of office. During that time, served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Josephinum by Pope Saint John Paul II for two three-year terms and then for his final three-year term by Pope Benedict the XVI.
In 2024 Father Kramer was named a Co-Parade Marshall for the WALTON Fest, a parish he considered a favorite of
his priesthood.
Father Kramer was also an active member of the Luxembourger American Cultural Society and very proud of his
Luxembourgish heritage.
Father Kramer was a musician … an organist and pianist. He loved history; collected antique clocks and loved the priesthood. In his retirement, he had the chance to help out at most of the 18 parishes in the Sterling Deanery. On April 28, 2026, he joined his fellow priests in celebrating significant jubilees. Father Kramer was there to mark almost 60 years as a priest.
Visitation was held May 7, 2026, from 3-7 p.m. at St. Patrick Church in Amboy. Celebration of the Mass of Christian Burial will follow on Friday, May 8, at 11 a.m. in St. Patrick Church in Amboy. Burial will be at Mount Olivet Cemetery
in Aurora.
