Phyllis Elizabeth Hitchner Cramer our "Jersey Girl," passed away peacefully on November 5, 2020. She was born in Bridgeton, NJ, on October 26, 1925, to Idella May and Franklin Sharp Hitchner. She grew up on the family farm. In the summer she and her siblings would swim in the nearby lake or go to the beach. Her favorite flower was the lady slipper found in her father's woods.
Phyllis received her bachelor's degree in 1946 from the New Jersey State Teachers College at Glassboro. She was always a stickler for grammar.
Phyllis met her husband Bob on a blind date. They married on August 5, 1947, in Venice Beach, CA. In 1949 they moved to Napa where she taught kindergarten at Bel Aire Park and Salvador Elementary Schools. Phyllis was a Girl Scout leader, room mother and library volunteer at Alta Heights. Phyllis was always up for fun and adventure. She lived life fearlessly. After retiring she and Bob traveled and spent long summers in Wisconsin.
Phyllis played the piano and loved to sing. She liked to paint, craft, make cards, do puzzles, play games, sew, and crochet. She was an amazing cook, known for her apple pies. She always had a little dog. She was a member of the Napa High 12, SIRS - Roving Roosters, Travelers' Joy taiko group and California Retired Teachers Association.
Phyllis is survived by her daughter Gail Ann (Jerry) Bins - Napa, CA, son Robert Glen Cramer - Bend, OR; granddaughters Julie (John) Smith, Amy (Aaron) Medina, Rebecca Parker, and Katherine Cramer; great grandchildren Chyan, Shelby, Kyle, Cole, Scott, Zayne, Tanner, Phoebe, Mason, and Adrian; numerous nieces and nephews and niece Patricia Ryan. Phyllis was preceded in death by her husband of 72 years Robert Vernon Cramer; her daughter-in-law Virginia Lee "Gigi" (Guisness) Cramer; her siblings Franklin Willard (Mollie) Hitchner - Bridgeton, NJ; Herbert Elwell (Esther) Hitchner - Bridgeton, NJ; Doris Mildred (Ray) DeMatte - Vineland, NJ; mother Idella May (Elwell) and father Franklin Sharp Hitcher of Bridgeton, NJ.
A graveside service will be held at Tulocay Cemetery for both Phyllis and Bob Cramer on November 17, 2020 at 1:00 pm, 411 Coombsville Rd, Napa, CA www.tulocaycemetery.org.
In lieu of flowers please send donations to the Napa Masonic Yount Lodge #12 scholarship fund, P.O. Box 2068, Napa, CA 94558. Condolences and words of sympathy may be sent to the family online at www.tulocaycemetery.org
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