Myra Kramer, 90, of Madison, Alabama, died peacefully on August 20, 2026, at the end of a long life spent looking after other people.
She was born in Chicago to Sam and Bryna Popkus Gerber and spent part of her childhood at Fort Benning, Georgia, during World War II. When the war ended, the family drove Route 66 west, and Myra grew up in Venice Beach and Santa Monica. She attended UCLA and built a career in respiratory therapy, eventually helping lead one of Southern California’s largest pulmonary rehabilitation units.
She filled the rest of her hours generously. She acted in local productions with a temple theater group, served as a head docent at the Los Angeles Zoo (receiving a Presidential Citation), and volunteered with the Autry Museum. She loved animals all her life and giraffes most of all.
Later she moved to Madison to be closer to her family and promptly found something to do. She volunteered at Madison Hospital two days a week well into 2026, was named its Volunteer of the Year, and was known throughout the halls as “The Chocolate Lady” for the treats she never arrived without. At 90, she was still showing up.
Myra was fiercely independent, warm, funny, and unfailingly generous. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Frederick “Fred” Kramer; her brother, Barry; and her granddaughter, Taylor Kramer. She is survived by her son, Cameron Kramer, and his wife, Beth; her daughters, Paula Shelton, and Leslie Archie and her husband, Joe; and her grandchildren, Jessica Kramer, Lauren Kramer, and Madison Archie.
A Celebration of Life will be held on September 12 at Legacy Chapel in Madison.11:00 a.m. Family and friends are invited to gather, share memories, and honor a life filled with love, service, and chocolate.
