Leo "Joe" Thramer

On November 24, 2022, Leo Joseph Thramer went to meet the Lord.  Just before his passing, he was surrounded by his wife, children and grandchildren singing his favorite hymns.  We give thanks to God for blessing us with this thoughtful, caring husband, father and papa.  He was the best of men.

Leo Joseph Thramer was born in 1934 in Spalding Nebraska to Leo A. and Magdalen Thramer.  When he was 3, his mother died in childbirth. In 1943 he moved with his father and brother Gene to Burlington. His sister MaryAnne stayed in Nebraska with the John Pfeifer family.

As a child he worked every summer in the fields harvesting strawberries, raspberries, beans, and bulbs.  Once he turned 16, he worked in a cannery, fed the pea viners, and even commercial fished on a purse seiner.  Before he graduated, Joe had saved enough money to buy a 1948 Chevy, which he later modified (split manifold with twin exhaust pipes, blue skirts and lowered in the back).  He would cruise through town with his friends in 2nd gear and then tromp on the accelerator just to hear those twin pipes crack (just out of earshot of the Burlington Police).

He was a proud Tiger, graduating from BEHS in 1952.  Joe loved basketball; as a sophomore he played on the first team in school history to qualify for the state tournament.  Though they didn’t place that year, the following year was even better, placing 5th in state.

Joe went to work for the Skagit Valley Telephone Company, accepting a temporary job cutting Mount Vernon over to dial tone (replacing the old system of operators and switch boards).  At the same time, he purchased a 20-acre parcel of land on Bow Hill.  He then bought a small house located behind the church in Bow and had it moved onto the property.

One Saturday night at the Skagit Valley Grange he noticed a beautiful girl from Anacortes, whose dance card was quite full.  He worked up enough courage to ask her to dance, she said “yes,” and they danced together the rest of the night (and then for the rest of their lives together).

On July 31, 1955, Joe and Darlene were married.  They moved into the house on Bow Hill and got very busy, raising 5 children.  The original house was too small for a growing family, so Joe built a total of 7 additions over the years.  When finished, the house was quadrupled in size, had a large garage and several out-buildings.

Joe enjoyed his family vacations every summer, sometimes a camping trip to dig razor clams in Copalis, other times a fishing trip to Sheridan Lake in Canada.  He also loved saltwater fishing and took his family to Point-No-Point to catch salmon.

Joe retired from GTE in 1992 at the age of 58, finally completing the “temporary” job he began over 38 years earlier.  Talk about commitment.  Often a telephone company truck was sighted near Edison Elementary or BEHS during his kids’ sporting events or performances.  Joe claimed that he was there to make sure that the school’s phone lines were operational at all times.

Joe and Darlene loved to travel, enjoying extended trips to the Hawaiian Islands with friends.  Ultimately, they became “snowbirds” and enjoyed winters in sunny Arizona, first in Apache Junction and then in Mesa.  Friends and family visited often to soak up the sun and play a rousing game of Mexican Train, Aggravation or Trenochle (a variant of pinochle that Joe created).  “Bid your hand” was Joe’s way of saying “be proud of what you’ve got - don’t sell yourself short.” 

Joe and Darlene loved to square dance and round dance and belonged to the Fidalgo Fogcutters for many years.  They practiced on a custom dance floor that Joe built in the garage.

He was preceded in death by his father Leo, his mother Magdalen and his brother Eugene Thramer.

Joe was extremely proud of his family and is survived by his sister MaryAnne, his loving wife Darlene and their five children: Tom Thramer (Nancy), Gary Thramer (Colleen), Susan Crawford (Jay), Greg Thramer (Robin) and Jennifer Ellis (Jim). He is also survived by his eleven grandchildren: Katie Kirschling (Ryan), Emily Thramer (Humberto), Laura Larson (Tony) Nathan Thramer (Lisa), Carlie Crawford (Dan), Leslie Crawford (Michael), Sarah Thramer (Nick), Jessica Smith (Brad), John Ellis (Joessie), Luke Ellis and Benjamin Ellis. Two great-grandchildren: Gavin and Kellen Kirschling.

A memorial service will be held on Friday December 9th at 1 pm at St. Charles Catholic Church in Burlington.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Joe’s name to Hospice of the Northwest.