Bertha "Sister Stella Marie" Kramer

Born: 11 Mar 1905, Stuart, Holt Co, Nebraska, USA
Died: 23 Jan 2002, Seattle, King Co, Washington, USA age 96 (St Joseph Residence)
Buried: Calvary Cemetery, Tumwater, Thurston Co, Washington

Father: Albert Kramer
Mother: Mary Ann Kollman
Grandparents: Jacob Kramer and Elizabeth Smith
Grandparents: ---- Kollman and ---- ----

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The Olympian, January 24, 2002
Sister Stella Marie Kramer, SP
Sister Stella Marie Kramer, age 96, died January 23, 2002 at St. Joseph Residence in Seattle, Washington. She had been a Sister of Providence for 70 years. The eldest of eleven children, Sister Stella Marie (Bertha Kramer) was born on March 11, 1905 in Stuart, Nebraska to Albert Kramer and Mary Kollman. The Kramer family moved to Seattle in 1910and soon moved to the Chambers Lake area near Olympia, where they grew up on a big farm. Sister Stella Marie entered the novitiate of the Sisters of Providence in Seattle in 1932, and professed her final vows in 1936. She received her Registered Nurse degree from the School of Nursing at St. Peter's Hospital, Olympia in 1929. Sister Stella Marie served as a nurse and/or surgery supervisor at St. Joseph Hospital, Vancouver, 1933-34, 1961-64, Providence Seattle Medical Center, 1934-44, 1953-57; St. Mary Hospital, Astoria, Oregon, 1944-46; Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, Portland, 1946-51, 1959-61; and Providence Anchorage Medical Center, 1951-53, 1964-86. Sister especially enjoyed her years as a surgical nurse in Alaska. For relaxation, she would tend her garden, pick cranberries, and bake bread. She retired to St. Joseph Residence, Seattle, in 1986. she enjoyed knitting, especially of afghans that gave joy and warmth to the recipients. Sister Stella Marie is survived by her brothers, Walter Kramer and Bob Kramer, both of Olympia. The Vigil Service will be held on January 24, 2002 at 7:00 p.m. and the Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on January 25, 2002 at 9:00 a.m., both at St. Joseph Residence, West Seattle. Arrangements: Bonney Watson Funeral Home, Seattle.