Oct. 1, 1908 - April 29, 2005

Former Murphys rancher Bauer Edwin Kramer of Orinda died April 29 at Walnut Creek care home. He was 96.

He was born in Oakland to Ralph and Flora Kramer. He attended Oakland High School and the University of California, Berkeley, where he received his bachelor's degree in 1930. He received his law degree from Harvard University in 1934 and became a member of the State Bar of California in 1935. He practiced law in Oakland with Aiken, Kramer and Cummings for more than 40 years.

He served as lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He served in the Office of Strategic Services unit for war crime trials and received a government commendation for his work. He was a member of the Veterans of OSS.

He was a rancher in Murphys where he raised prize-winning Polled Hereford cattle. He owned the Kramer Ranch in Murphys, which he bought in 1948. The ranch later became part of Ironstone Vineyards. He lived in Orinda for more than 37 years.

He was a director on many charitable and civic boards, including the Oakland Boys and Girls Club, the Oakland Symphony Orchestra Association, and the Downtown Merchant's Association. He was president of the One Hundred Club, served as a trustee to the Mountain View Cemetery Association since 1970, and was a member of the Alameda County Bar Association where he served a term as president.

He was a member of the Estate Planning Council of the East Bay, the Athenian Nile Club, the Order of Saint Hubertus, and the Bohemian Grove of San Francisco where he wrote two plays presented at the club.

He was a contributor to the University of California, Harvard Law School, Saint Peter's Episcopal Church and the Mark Twain Luncheon Club. He enjoyed pack trips in the high Sierra, where he traveled extensively on the John Muir Trail, and he enjoyed fly fishing and hunting.

Mr. Kramer is survived by his wife of 37 years, Marta Kramer of Orinda; daughters, Sylvia Hedlund of Stockton and Gail Kautz of Lodi; and a son, John Kramer of Sacramento.

A memorial service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday at Mountain View Cemetery on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland.

Donations can be made in his memory to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland, P.O. Box 23203, Oakland, CA 94623, or a favorite charity.

Hull's Walnut Creek Chapel is handling arrangements.