ELAINE KRAMER

1925 - 2020

KRAMER--Elaine. 1925-2020. Elaine passed away at her home on the Upper West Side on October 27. She was the wife of the late Eli Kramer, proud mother to Jonathan (Laurie) and David (Stacy), and devoted Granny to Jared, Eliza, Sadie, Eli and Jack. Elaine was a true New Yorker, the City where she spent her entire life. Born in the Bronx, she grew up in Manhattan where she went to Walden, and Forest Hills, where she graduated from Forest Hills High School and Queens College. She received a Master's of Social Work at NYU where she was elected president of the student body, and proceeded to spend the next 41 years working for the Jewish Board. Most of her career was spent at the Child Development Center, specializing in the needs of children aged 2-6. For many years, she was the Director of Consultation, sending specialists to the City's preschools. One of Elaine's career highlights was running a group therapy session for six sets of parents who had children with developmental challenges. The group met monthly for more than 30 years. Raising two boys on the Upper West Side, Elaine was incredibly committed to Collegiate School and the SAJ Synagogue. At Collegiate, she participated in the Parents of Alumni Council well into her 90's. At SAJ, she became a passionate congregant, joined the Board, was honored as the Kallat Bereshit and made lifelong friendships. Elaine was an expert bragger about her sons and grandchildren. She loved taking family to Broadway shows and on exotic Bar/Bat Mitzvah trips, and was one of the busiest New Yorkers, attending shows, readings, Lincoln Center's Talk Cinema and enjoying a glass of wine on her terrace. After her husband died in 1982, she started new chapters, focusing on her career and traveling extensively. A breast cancer survivor since 1977, she celebrated her cancer-free anniversaries and often shared her story with patients when she volunteered at Sloan Kettering. She was extremely talented with crafts, always needlepointing and knitting gifts for friends and family. Her sons loved her lokshen kugel, salmon mousse, and chocolate pecan pie. We'll have a memorial service when we can all be together. Until then, please consider donations to the Eli Kramer Book Fund at Collegiate School or the SAJ.