Service honors the life of Eau Claire Co. Sheriff Ron Cramer

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) -Family, friends and the law enforcement community came together at Trinity Lutheran Church in Eau Claire to remember the life and legacy of one of their own.

In a service to honor Eau Claire County Sheriff Ron Cramer, they shared a little bit of what that legacy looks like.

“We remember before you today our brother Ron,” said Pastor Jim Ahlquist with Spirit Lutheran Church in Eau Claire. “We thank you for giving him to us to know and to love on our pilgrimage here on Earth.”

For Cramer’s niece Stephanie Snyder: “When my Mom, Ron’s sister-in-law Jane, passed almost 10 years ago, and I lost my home, Ron and Cheryl graciously opened their home to me......Sneaking junk food was something we bonded over. One time he took me through the Fazoli’s drive thru, and I mentioned I would like two extra bread sticks. He looked at me and told the cashier, yeah, we’ll take a dozen extra breadsticks.”

Cramer also impacted current State Representative for Assembly District 68 Jesse James’ life too.

“I remember thinking one day I want to be like him, and then to have him be a part of my life, one of the top three people who influenced my life, that believed in me, and I wasn’t going to cry, but when you said Ron would always say how proud he was of you, he would always say that to me,” James said.

That legacy is also felt by former Rusk County Sheriff Dean Meyer.

“I hope when you think of Ron, you think of smiling Ron here, or with his Santa hat on taking care of the kids,” Meyer said. “I would like to end with a challenge and a challenge to each one of you today, and that’s to leave here with a little more Ron Cramer in your heart and in your soul. Try to find a way to turn this negative into a positive.”

In the Eau Claire County Sheriff’s Office, his memory will continue on.

“I’m going to miss the spontaneous Sheriff Cramer,” said Captain Cory Schalinske with the Eau Claire County Sheriff’s Office. “I remember leading a meeting with others in the conference room when he popped his head in the room and asked me to step out. I figured it was a simple question. Within seconds, I was getting in his vehicle, and we were on our way to Minnesota to pick up surplus equipment.....We will serve the community with professionalism and respect and compassion. and while doing so, remembering Sheriff Ron Cramer and how important it was to him.”

As Tuesday’s service was wrapping up, Ahlquist said: “We thank you for the time we were able to spend with Ron... Allow us to continue the journey and the legacy that this man, Ron, led the way upon and we follow.”

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