Rebecca Cramer Obituary

Cramer

Rebecca Lowrey

Cramer

July 24, 1940

June 29, 2021



Born in north Mississippi, Becky spent most of her life in Colorado Springs, immersed in a range of projects: gardening, reading, music, theater, planning events, studying insects and arachnids, practicing in local politics, rebuilding her home, and, most notably, raising and teaching her children. Becky's fast friends knew her to be someone who made her own way, happier in conversation at an informal get-together or a pre-wedding family-wide camping trip than at a formal reception. Becky and her husband Owen travelled the world, especially Greece, Japan and Germany, which they visited several times. In their many visits to the homes of her four boys, Becky remained enthusiastic about her life-long dedication to excursions – camping, fishing, even rafting in rickety blow-up boats. She was devoted to museums of all kinds. She was unwavering in her commitment to feminist and humanist ideals.

Born to Anna Jane (Allen) and Edwin Stovall Lowrey, Becky Jane – as she was then called – received a National Merit Scholarship and attended Oberlin College in Ohio, where she met Owen, her devoted husband and constant interlocutor of nearly 60 years. At Oberlin and then in graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin, Becky studied German and Old English. She moved with Owen to Colorado and supported his 56-year-long career as a teacher at Colorado College. She died after an unexpectedly swift decline from dementia.

Along with Owen, Becky is survived by one sister, Mary Kate Dennis of Winston-Salem (formerly Boone), North Carolina. She was preceded in death by her two beloved brothers, Bob and Bill, and her brother-in-law Warren; she is missed by her brothers'spouses, Patty and Pat, and many nieces and nephews. Her own four children all followed in her footsteps in some way, as stay-at-home parents, teachers, gardeners, community organizers, home builders and scientists. Becky was intent on opening all the doors she could for her children: Alfred (YouYoung Kang, child Eleanor) of Claremont, California; Thomas (Jane Kellett, children Phacelia, Melica and Arenaria) and Ben (Naoko Hokari and children Soju, Tetsuzo and Shunta), all of Eugene, Oregon; and Ethan (Michele Curay, child Elias) of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania). Becky was especially close to her family-by-choice: Ruth, Tom K, Ruth and Tiff Barton; Belle, Greg and Ben Rosing; Katie, Josh, Addie and Beaudie Miller; Priscilla and Will Wright; and Curt, Susie and Dean Smith.

Many will remember Becky barefoot in her eclectic garden, humming as she tended to the plants and sought out the bugs she loved so much. In lieu of flowers, donations to the California Botanic Garden in Claremont, California or the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation in Portland, Oregon seem especially appropriate. A celebration of life will be held in August, date to be announced.