David A. Kramer

David Arthur Kramer, age 81, of Emerson

March 27, 1943 - April 8, 2024

The family is very saddened by David’s passing.

David was born March 27, 1943 to Philip Kramer and Elizabeth (Hammerstein) Kramer. David was the oldest of two children. Upon the loss of Elizabeth, Philip and Helen (O’Connor) Kramer married and happily brought two daughters into the family. David lived in Bergen County throughout his life.

David had a long career in Criminal Justice working for the Hillsdale Police Department from 1965-1994 as Detective Sergeant and at Bergen Community College as Associate Professor in the Criminal Justice and Legal Studies Department. He was a graduate of John Jay College of Criminal Justice (institution founded as the only liberal arts college with a criminal justice and forensic focus in the U.S.) and attended with course completion the Institute for Psychoanalytic Studies.

David served as SP4 in the U.S. Army in South Korea as an MP with specialty as a Sharpshooter (Rifle M-1) and Marksman (Carbine).

David leaves behind a lifetime of community service and commitment to serving others especially teenagers while serving as Juvenile Detective in the Hillsdale Police Department and with college students at Bergen Community College. He worked with high school principals and provided guidance to youth. He always supported the students and their families. As a professor he encouraged and mentored his students throughout the years. An earlier student commented that to this day she remembers the sage advice he gave her to finish her four-year degree and go on to graduate school. She followed his advice and now looks back on a long professional career.

On the personal side, David had an affinity for nice cars from an early age. He loved cars - from his early 60’s Corvette, onto his Porsche Carrera and more recently a succession of Mercedes, including his beloved S 500 Mercedes.

David was also a world explorer. Over the years he traveled extensively through Southeast Asia, Europe, South Africa, Central and South America, Cuba, Honduras and Dubai as both a single wanderer and earlier trips with his family. He loved meeting people from other countries; he was fascinated with their uniqueness and life stories and sought them out. David was an avid reader and well versed in world history and politics. He had an interest in art and music and collected from his world travels.

David lived a meaningful life contributing to his local community and defending our nation overseas. It was a life he was proud of and often commented that it was a life well lived. He was committed to educating himself both in educational degrees and through life experiences. He worked a lifetime on understanding the human psyche most significantly his own.

David was deeply committed to his family and had deep long-standing friendships. If he was your friend, he was your friend for life. If you didn’t know him, you’d want to have a beer with him. Goodbye beloved brother, father, uncle, husband and old friend. You made a difference in our world; rest in peace.

David is survived by his son Christopher Kramer of NYC; former wife Janet Ortiz of The Villages, Florida and her daughter Samantha (David) Jaliman of Flemington, New Jersey; sister Jennifer Kramer of Amherst, Massachusetts; sister Kristin Kramer of Brooklyn, New York and sister Elizabeth (Raymond) Channell of Boonton, New Jersey. He is survived by nephew Jesse (Shakira) Suglia of Atlanta, Georgia; niece Sara (William) Ewell of Chapel Hill, North Carolina; nephew Peter (Jennifer) Channell of Boonton, New Jersey; nephew Kevin Channell of Denver, Colorado; nephew Casey Suglia of Hollywood, Florida.

David was preceded in death by his parents, Philip Kramer, devoted mother Helen Kramer and devoted mother Elizabeth Kramer.

There will be a Memorial Service (3-5) and Celebration of Life (5-7) on April 19th at Becker Funeral Home in Westwood. Condolences may be sent via the Becker Funeral Home website: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/funeral-homes/new-jersey/westwood/becker-funeral-home/4025

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Bergen Community College Foundation to support scholarships for students.