Betty E. Kramper

April 18, 1929 - November 20, 2020

Betty Kramper (nee Waeltz) passed away on Friday, November 20, 2020 at the Good Samaritan Society St. John’s in Kearney, NE, at age 91. She was born on April 18, 1929 in Fayetteville, IL, the youngest of 7 children of the late William and Louisa Waeltz (nee Petri). Betty had fond memories of life on the farm, family and Grange activities and attending a one room school house where her cousin was the teacher. At a local dance, Betty met the love of her life, Bernard G Kramper (Benny) from nearby St Libory. They married in 1947 after his return from WW II. They settled in Belleville, IL, and had 5 children. Benny passed in 1965 and Betty remained in the area to raise her children. Every morning Betty would retrieve her Belleville News Democrat to accompany her morning coffee and work the daily crossword puzzle. Betty is survived by 4 of her 5 children: Bonnie Weber (Walt) of PA; Linda Nelson of IL; Stephen Kramper (Diane) of FL; and Beth Montag (Jeff) of NE. She was preceded in death by her son Bernard M Kramper (Mike) and son-in-law, Dennis Nelson. Betty was the proud grandmother of 9 grandchildren: Gail Geib (Danny) of IL; Dawn Knaebel (Tim) of FL; Will Kramper (Deanna) of FL; Ben Montag (Emma) of KS; Kassandra Montag (Dr Andrew Baumgartner) of NE; Betsy Nelson of MA; Dr Marissa Weber of NY; Mandie Montag-Quinn (Carter) of NE; Kelsey Weber of PA and 3 step grandchildren: Leslie McRobbie (Peter), James Weber and Shannon Bayer, all of PA. She was equally proud of her 10 great grandchildren and 3 step great grandchildren. She is also survived by her goddaughter, Kathy Ruhmann of IL; daughter-in-law, Carolyn Karasek Needles of IL; sister-in-law, Edna Morrison of MO; and numerous nieces and nephews. Betty was an accomplished seamstress and crafter – crocheting, knitting, counted cross stitch, plastic canvas. In addition to the numerous clothes, coats, window dressings, afghans, quilts, ornaments and other items for the family, she created and sewed wedding dresses for herself, her goddaughter and all 3 daughters. Each family member has some of Betty’s homemade memorabilia and will cherish the ongoing legacy of her labors of love as they remember her bright smile and warm hugs. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, her memorial service will be planned in Belleville, Illinois sometime in 2021. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Good Samaritan Society – St John’s of Kearney, Nebraska which was Betty’s residence for the past year Good Samaritan Society - St John's @ Kearney, Nebraska or Alzheimer’s Association Alzheimer's Association or the charity of your choice.