Ronald James Kramlick (1942 - 1968)

Born 25 Oct 1942 in Elizabeth, Union County, New Jersey, United States

Ancestors

Died 17 Nov 1968 at age 26 in Rahway Township, Union, New Jersey, United States

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Biography

Ronald James Kramlick was born on 25 October 1942, in Elizabeth, Union County, New Jersey, to John Kramlick and Catherine Gleason. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

In 1946, Frances and Fred Tiets spent Christmas in New Jersey. They gave Ronald a cowboy suit, and Leslie Jonas 'tried to make his legs to look bowlegged like a Texan'. Frances later remembered that as a very happy time, although her stepfather had died just the month before.^[5]

When he was a child, his eyes lit up when he made his mother happy. ^[6]

On 1 April 1950, he was living with his parents and sister, at 805 Garibaldi Avenue, South Plainfield, New Jersey. His parents both worked 40 hours the week before the census was taken. John was an assistant foreman at a plastic manufacturing company; Catherine worked at ageing [?] condensers [?], for a condenser manufacturing company. Ronald, and presumably all of them, was living in the same house a year earlier. Ronald was in second grade. ^[7]

He spent a lot of time with his mother's cousin Helen and her husband Les. They took him away from town and stayed in a cabin while Les was working, and he spent weekends with them in Kenilworth. ^[8]

He had a difficult relationship with his father. ^[9]

He was married in October 1964, in Roselle, Union County, New Jersey.^{[10] [3]}

He, his sister, and their mother's cousins Pete and Helen went to West Virginia to help Frances when her husband Fred was dying. ^[11]

He worked as a route man for Brauer's Dairy (of Garwood, New Jersey), starting about May 1966 (and continuing until he died). Buying the route allegedly cost $10,000; his mother's cousin Frances later claimed to be helping him purchase it. Perhaps he was trying to get a different job; in September 1968, Frances wrote hoping that he would get the job. ^{[2] [3] [12] [13]}

He lived at 507 South Avenue, Garwood, New Jersey. ^[2]

He died on 17 November 1968, in Garwood, Union County, New Jersey, struck by a car as he and two others tried to cross North Avenue. (He officially died in Rahway Hospital, Rahway, Union County, New Jersey.) He was buried on 21 November 1968, in Saint Gertrude Cemetery, Colonia, Middlesex County, New Jersey. ^{[2] [3] [14] [15] [16]}

The driver was initially charged with causing death by auto, and released on $1,500 bail. He was apparently not charged, because of insufficient evidence. However, his widow later won a civil suit. ^{[3] [16] [17] [18]}

Sources

1. ↑ New Jersey, birth certificate, no. 8211 (25 October 1942), Ronald James Kramlick; Office of Vital Statistics and Registry, Trenton; most of the lines are not filled out. Ronald James Kramlick

   born 25 October 1942, Elizabeth, Union County, to John Kramlick and Catherine H. Gleason

2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} death certificate, New Jersey, Union County, Ronald J Kramlick, 17 November 1968, state file number 59603, informant: Jessica E Kramlick (his wife)

   Ronald J Kramlick

   born 25 Oct 1942, Elizabeth NJ, to John Kramlick and Mrs Catherine Kramlick (same address)

   milkman for dairy industry. usual residence: 507 South Avenue, Garwood. : never in armed forces

   informant: Jessica E Kramlick (same address)

   died 17 Nov 1968, Rahway Hospital, Rahway, Union County; injury occurred North Ave, Garwood, Union County

   buried 21 Nov 1968, St Gertrude's Cemetery, Woodbridge NJ (Dooley Funeral Home)

3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4} 'Set funerals for 2 victims of first pedestrian fatalities in Garwood in over 12 years', Citizen and Chronicle [Cranford] Thursday 21 November 1968, page 1 (of Garwood edition) (image 17 of 22 in this digitization), cols. 7-8; image copy, Cranford Public Library (http://www.digifind-it.com/IDIViewer/web/viewer.html?file=/Cranford/data/newspapers/chronicle/1968/1968-11-21.pdf : accessed 4 July 2023).
4. ↑ letter, Frances Tiets to Catherine Kramlick, 20 October 1965, page 1, in possession of Jo Ann Kennedy-Ide

   'well Monday Ronald will be 23'

   if the letter was written on 19 October 1965, as the postmark and date ('Oct 19') suggest, Monday would be 25 October 1965

5. ↑ letter, 18 October 1979, Frances Tiets to Catherine Kramlick, page 1, in possession of Jo Ann Kennedy-Ide

   'which comes back to Ronald in 1946 when he was 4 of my Father to die and of Fred and i to come home for xmas that year of Helen to buy for Ronald and from us he got that cowboy suit where Leslie tried to make his legs to look bowlegged like a Texan altho our sadness of 46 but i guess it was the happyest as from then on death kept following the family'

6. ↑ letter 9 August 1969, Frances Tiets to Catherine Kramlick, page 1, in possession of Jo Ann Kennedy-Ide

   'i could of sent Ronald one but the only ones i seem to find is reading to a nice little boy to me that is the way i will remember Ronald i should realize he is not a little boy but i wont change it. too me that is the way it will be Ronald the little boy Donna the little girl. The years has slipped away but i will always remember Ronalds eyes how would light when he would be doing something to make you happy.'

7. ↑ 1950 U.S. census, South Plainfield, Middlesex County, New Jersey, population schedule, enumeration district 12-276, sheet 9, dwelling 74; image copy, National Archives (https://1950census.archives.gov/search/?name=Kramlick&page=1&state=NJ : accessed 1 April 2022).

   805 Garibaldi St

   head John Kramlick, white, male, 44, married, born New Jersey, worked 40 hours prior week, as asst. foreman, plastic mfg. co.

   wife Catherine -, white, female, 26, married, born New York, worked 40 hours prior week, as ageing [?] condenser [?], for condenser mfg.

   son Ronald J. -, white, male, 7, never married, born New Jersey, was living in same house a year ago, attended second grade of school

   daughter Donna A. -, white, female, 3, never married, born New Jersey

8. ↑ letter, 12 September 1983, Frances Tiets to Catherine Kramlick, page 1, in possession of Jo Ann Kennedy-Ide

   'the good part goes back to Helen when Ronald was a little boy she and Les would take him when Les had work 50 miles or so from home and they would rent a cabin till Les got his job finished thats why i asked you if Les paid attention to Donnas Ronald but you didnt ans'

9. ↑ letter, 12 September 1983, Frances Tiets to Catherine Kramlick, page 2, in possession of Jo Ann Kennedy-Ide

   ' Helen told me of John not to like Ronald i guess Ronald would be telling Helen this when he would spend week ends in Kenilworth at Helens of John to be punching his head and cursing that he better not disgrace the Kremlick name so this was wrong of John to keep chewing on the kid '

10. ↑ New Jersey marriage index, Ronald Kramlick, Ancestry and Ancestry

    'DOMBIOUSKI JESSICA E [spouse] KRAMLICK RONALD [license] 38690 [place] 20563 [date] 10 64' (place is Roselle, Union, New Jersey)

    'BEHNKE JESSICA E [spouse] KRAMLICK RONALD [license] 38690 [place] 20563 [date] 10 64' (place is Roselle, Union, New Jersey)

11. ↑ letter, 8 August 1984, Frances Tiets to Catherine Kramlick, pages 4-5, in possession of Jo Ann Kennedy-Ide

    '1954 he to be only 12 years old Cathrine ... Pete and Helen was to help with Fred you sent Ronald and Donna with them'

12. ↑ letter, 8 September 1968, Frances Tiets to Catherine Kramlick, pages 5-6, in possession of Jo Ann Kennedy-Ide

    'i do hope Ron will get his job. Pete would like very much to see him have a chance'

13. ↑ letter, 30 August 1975, Frances Tiets to Catherine Kramlick, page 4, in possession of Jo Ann Kennedy-Ide

    'i was giving good for Ron for the milk route [?] to buy that was 10 thousand'

14. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #97555179, Ronald J Kramlick, Saint Gertrudes Cemetery

    no sources or pictures

15. ↑ memorial card (from Catherine Kramlick's collection), in possession of Jo Ann Kennedy-Ide

    'RONALD J. KRAMLICK Departed This Life November 17, 1968'

16. ↑ ^{16.0 16.1} 'Pedestrian deaths case not referred to grand jury', Citizen and Chronicle, Thursday 5 December 1968, section 4, page 1 (image 25 of 30), col.4; image copy, Cranford Public Library (http://www.digifind-it.com/IDIViewer/web/viewer.html?file=/Cranford/data/newspapers/chronicle/1968/1968-12-05.pdf : accessed 4 July 2023).
17. ↑ 'Sues driver in death of husband', Cranford Chronicle Thursday 30 July 1970, page 5 (image 13 of 16 in this digitization), col.1; image copy, Cranford Public Library (http://www.digifind-it.com/IDIViewer/web/viewer.html?file=/Cranford/data/newspapers/chronicle/1970/1970-07-30.pdf : accessed 4 July 2023).
18. ↑ letter, 30 August 1975, Frances Tiets to Catherine Kramlick, page 4, in possession of Jo Ann Kennedy-Ide

    'because in a years time Jessie would be rich of 25 thousand dollars and she would have said sorry but Ron is not here and then i would have to get out after that accident of 68 with Ron and Jessie would be the rich one so she did not have to worry as Pete said she got 50 thousand for Ron accident maybe im wrong'

See also

• 'U.S. School Yearbooks, 1900-1999', database with images; Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1265&h=412486920&ssrc=pt&tid=80664302&pid=3442344491&usePUB=true : accessed 22 September 2019): citing Dayton High School, 1958; Jo Ann thinks he's the seventh person from the left in the last row (shorter than the people around him).
• 'Ronald J Kramlick', in FamilySearch's Family Tree