Robert "Bob" George Gramann

1922 - 2023

Robert “Bob” George Gramann, 101, passed away peacefully at his home in Fredericksburg, Virginia on June 16, 2023. Bob had a curious mind and liked solving problems. He was an early advocate of innovations like online learning, telemedicine, and indoor farming in abandoned shopping malls. He explored building a solar house in the 1970’s, delivering food to disaster areas, and growing tasty tomatoes.

Bob was born in Beardstown, Illinois on February 20, 1922, the oldest child of Arnold and Gladys Sommers Gramann. As a kid during the Great Depression, times were hard for adults, he said, but he enjoyed accompanying his Dad around town on odd jobs. Growing up, he was a paperboy, carhop, farm worker, and chicken picker, and candler in a poultry market.

Bob was also an Eagle Scout and took the train to Washington, DC, for the Boy Scout Jamboree. He bought a used 1926 Model T Ford in 1939, and his mother let him pull that car apart and lay it out in the living room before putting it back together. He graduated from Beardstown High School in 1940 and served as president of his class.

Bob attended college in Normal, Illinois, working as resident assistant in an orphanage for boys. He recalled, “I was just a big kid”. He enlisted in the U.S. Army after the Pearl Harbor attack and trained in cryptanalysis at Vint Hill and Arlington Hall in Virginia. He was the Army’s Cryptographic Security Officer in the China-Burma-India theater during WWII, protecting American lives by advising on and updating communication codes. After four years in the Army, he spent 30 years as a communications officer for the government.

Bob said he noticed Dorothy Gardiner at a USO dance in 1942 because “she was the best dancer there” and he was “a lousy dancer”. They were married after the war in Washington, DC, and raised their 4 children in Northern Virginia and at his overseas posts in Germany, Okinawa, and Greece.

Dorothy and Bob moved to Fredericksburg after he retired. They joined St Mary Catholic Parish, and Bob volunteered at the St Vincent de Paul thrift store downtown. He joined Fredericksburg Host Lions Club in 1984 and remained an active member until 2020. As President, he expanded Lions Club screenings for sight and hearing to serve more children at both public and private schools.

In 1998, when Dorothy was injured in a car accident, Bob became her caregiver (even endeavoring to cook) and constant companion until her death in 2009. They had been married for 63 years, and he often said how much he missed her.

Bob loved his family dearly and was well-loved in return. He spoke proudly of each of his children and grandchildren. He is survived by his children, Robert A. (Mary Lou), Dr. William J. (Rebekah), and Carol Ann; 6 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. Also surviving are his brother, Arthur Gramann; sister, Gloria Hayes; sister-in-law, Beatrice Gramann, his nieces, and nephews.

He was predeceased by his parents; his daughter, Barbara Jean Gramann; brother, Richard; in-laws, Berta Gramann, Robert Hayes, and Alice Lou Gramann.

Bob’s life was enriched by the love of Margaret Gramann, John Witten, and their family. A special thank you is extended to his caregiver, Liz Jaxel, Bob’s doctors, his Lions Club friends, dinner ladies, MHAF Senior Visitor, and church friends.

The family will receive friends at A. L. Bennett and Son Funeral Home, 200 Butternut Drive, on Saturday, July 1, 2023, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm with tributes at noon. A private funeral and burial will be held later in Beardstown, Illinois.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Fredericksburg Host Lions Club General Fund, 4520 Gerber Drive, Fredericksburg, VA, 22408.