Judith H. Kramer

     Judith Helene Kitchen was born in Los Angeles to Edwin “Paul” Kitchen and his wife Irene Ann Mertz. Judy grew up in the South Gate area outside of Los Angeles and graduated from Paramount High School in 1958.  After earning an AA degree and completing three years of college, Judy left school to work full time in the aerospace industry. She was proud to say that she was part of the Apollo Space Program while working at North American in Downey, CA.

     Marrying Maurice Dee Kramer in June 1962, Judy found her true calling in life when her son Michael was born in 1963 - motherhood! Two daughters followed, Paula in 1965 and Tricia in 1970. Now living in Huntington Beach, where she remained for the rest of her life, Judy dedicated herself to creating a loving warm home, and supporting every interest her children pursued - Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, flag football, drill team, cheerleading, etc.  Her children also benefitted from her amazing artistic energy. She created intricate birthday cakes, and sewed many beautiful outfits for her girls, including a number of prom dresses. Her creativity peaked every autumn for many years as she and a dear neighbor made the circuit of holiday boutiques, selling their handmade wares that had been carefully crafted for months. Judy even learned how to tole paint and was so exceptional at it that the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., chose 3 of her ornaments to adorn their trees at Christmas!

     When grandchildren became a reality in her life, Judy, along with Maurice, experienced a whole new level of love! Her main focus was then on the next generation, taking them on fun excursions, buying them gifts, decorating personalized Christmas trees for their rooms, and smothering them with hugs and kisses.  And yes, once again “Gamma” supported every interest the grandchildren pursued - football, wrestling, water polo, swimming, drama, etc. At any time, if you asked, Judy would happily stop what she was doing to proudly talk about her seven grandchildren [Ryan and Danny born to Paula and her husband Brent; Matthew, Joshua, Nicole, and Zachary born to Tricia and her husband David; Andie born to Michael and his wife Kathleen].

    Judy was also a fierce advocate for Maurice, especially after he suffered a massive stroke more than 20 years ago. Judy’s own health had many ups and downs as she endured severe asthma, several sinus surgeries, and then a heart attack in 2003. In the last few years, her health deteriorated even more after a near fatal bout of sepsis that irretrievably damaged her kidneys and further weakened her heart. To the surprise of doctors, Judy bounced back and was able to enjoy more special occasions with not only her children and grandchildren, but also with several GREAT grandchildren that joined our loving brood! [Jacob, Makena, and Kayla born to Matthew and his wife Kelly; Joey and Marianne born to Ryan and his wife Marie; Lolo and Kendall born to Danny and his wife Courtney].

      While the great grandchildren will not get to personally know their great gamma (GG as we call her), we will be sure to regale them with countless details of GG’s life. And in so doing, we will most importantly share how much she loved God, how she taught us that God must be the priority in our lives, how she fervently offered up prayers giving thanks and prayers pleading for fortitude, how she looked to the Virgin Mary as a model of human wisdom, patience, and devotion. You see, above all else, Judy gave her children and grandchildren the gift of faith. We called upon that faith as we encircled Mama in her final hours of life, holding and kissing her, praying with her. And in her very last moments, it was faith that gave us the courage to let go so she could take Jesus’ hand to lead her home where we knew she wanted to be!

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In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in the name of Judy Kramer to Blessed Sacrament Catholic School in Westminster.

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