William "Bill" Kremer

In loving memory we celebrate the life of our family’s patriarch, William “Bill” Wilbur Kremer.  He peacefully passed away the early morning of September 21 holding the hands of his third daughter, Kathy, and youngest daughter, Kari, in the town he called home most of his life.

As a husband, father, grandfather, veteran , small-business owner and active community member, Bill lived a rich life .  He was the youngest child of five, born to William and Jessie Kremer December 2, 1922 , in Lewiston, MN .  He had a love of music that started young; in junior and senior high school, he played the clarinet and sang in the Boys Chorus, Mixed Chorus and Boy s Octet . He met his wife of 74 years, Virginia “Ginny” Mae Caw, in high school , and married her in Oakland, CA, on April 19, 1944, before deployment to the South Pacific on the USS Yorktown CV-10 during World War II . Drafted in April 1943, he served as a Torpedoman ’ s Mate Aviation 2 nd Class in the US Navy until he was honorably discharged in December 1945, earning five Bronze Stars, the WWII Victory Medal, the Philippine Liberation Ribbon (PLR) with Star , and the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (APCM).

After his term in the Navy, Bill and Ginny returned to Minnesota and settled in Chatfield, where they raised four daughters, Lynn, Jean, Kathryn and Karen (Kari). He was the proud cofounder and owner of a plumbing and heating business, Kremer & Evans, and worked as a mas ter electrician for 35 years until retirement . W hile raising his family, Bill served his community, spending 20 years as a volunteer fire fighter with several years as Fire Chief, 70 years as an honor member with the American Legion with several years as Commander, and many years as a member of the United Methodist Church , serving as Treasurer, Methodist Youth Fellowship leader, choir member, and Sunday school teacher .

Bill’ s best years were spent traveling t he United States with his wife and friends , enjoying summers at th e family cabin on Lac Court Oreilles, and frequenting hobbies including fishing, hunting, golfing, bowling, woodworking, reading and singing.

His family cherishes many memories of him. His wife remembers their travels.  His daughters remember listening to Twins games on the radio with him; his rendition of “ I Dream of Je a nnie with the Light Brown Hair ” ; him at the helm of many pontoon rides at the lake , and collecting bait (hellgrammites) from underneath the rocks of the shores of the Root River . His grandchildren remember hand squeeze s so tight they hurt ; endless hours of card games; airborne tosses in the lake; his competitive, playful spirit; and the legacy he leaves in us.

Bil l is survived by his wife, Virginia Kremer; his four daughters, Lynn (Bob) Hutton, Jean (Bruce) Johnson, Kathryn (Mark) Simpson, and Kari Kremer ; his 9 grandchildren, Andrea, Erin, Shannon, Sarah, Mia, Mallory, Leza, Sophia and Kate; and 17 great-grandchildren. T ogether , we remember the deep love he had for us, and imagine him gazing on us from heaven, smiling and singing loudly, with clear vision and tireless feet.

Please join our family at his service Wednesday, September 26 at 2 p.m . at the Chatfield United Methodist Church with Pastor Debra Jene Collum officiating. visitation will be one hour before service at the church. Burial will be in the Chatfield Cemetery with military honors by the American Legion of Chatfield.

Riley Funeral Home is assisting the Kremer family with arrangements.  To share a memory with the family, please visit RileyFuneralHomes.com