Mary Jane Kramer, age 64, of  Dubuque, passed away  on Monday, July 20, 2026, at Mercy One Dubuque surrounded by her loving family.  To celebrate Mary Jane’s life, family and friends may visit from 9:00 a.m. until 10:15 a.m., on Saturday, July 25, 2026, at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Sherrill, Iowa.  Funeral services will be held at the Church on Saturday at 10:30 a.m.  Burial will be in Sts. Peter and Paul Cemetery in Sherrill, Iowa.  Behr Funeral Home is assisting Mary Jane’s family.

Mary Jane was born to Delbert and Joyce (Budde) Kramer on March 26, 1962, at Mercy Hospital in Dubuque, Iowa.

Her mother, Joyce, loved writing poems so we share this poem to tell Mary Jane’s story.

MOTHER TELLS THE STORY
We were given this gift from above, a precious baby girl to love.
March 26th the due date given, our special child came from heaven.
She was such a pretty little girl, light blue eyes, golden hair with natural curl.
Mary’s progress was very slow, didn’t roll over till 6 months old.
Mary doesn’t talk to this very day– if she could, I wonder what she would say.
Mary was a very good baby, seldom cried –wasn’t long till we realized…
We had no idea what was in store- took her to Iowa City to find out more.
Diagnosis, brain damage–cause unknown. We were to monitor any progress shown.
At age six, Mary started school to learn as much knowledge as she could discern.

After Joyce had a stroke in May 1968, she remained paralyzed on the right side of her body and was expecting a baby in October. Mary Jane could not walk so when it came time for the rest of her siblings to go back to school, Joyce and Del made the hard decision to place Mary Jane as one of the first residents of Area Residential Care.  As time went by ARC closed their main building and opened up Residential Homes for children.  Mary Jane was placed at Hacienda House where she gained another family and caretakers that were very caring.  She worked at the ARC Workshop until she retired in March of 2024. In December 2024, it was decided, due to Mary Janes’s age and repeated health issues, that she needed more nursing care and so was placed at Sunnycrest Manor.  It was a different life style but she settled in with great caregivers.

Those left to keep Mary Jane in their hearts are

her siblings,
Linda Freiburger, Peosta, IA,
Sue (Dan) Habel, Sherrill, IA,
Tom (Sharon) Kramer, Dubuque, IA
and Kelly (Bill) Kauffmann;

a brother-in-law,
Russ Nauman, Dubuque, IA;

nieces and nephews,
Tom, Dave, Peter, Karl, Martina, Chris,  Jodi, Amanda, Jeff, Joe, Randy, John, Liza, Brad and Anna;

and several great nieces and great nephews, Mary Jane preferred to sit with these nieces and nephews at family gatherings.

Waiting for Mary Jane in heaven are:  her Mom and Dad, a sister, Diane Nauman, a nephew, Karl Freiburger, a brother-in-law, Dan Freiburger, her Godmother, Ruth Hoffman and her Godfather, Irvin Kramer.

The family would like to thank all the caregivers thru the years at Area Residential Care. Without ARC Mary would have had to go to a State Facility in Des Moines. Just the fact that she was allowed to go and work at the ARC workshop was amazing. Also, thanks to all the workers and nurses at Sunnycrest that showed kindness and concern for Mary Jane .  Lastly thank you to the Staff at MercyOne Dubuque for their kindness during her last days.

Cards and memorials in Mary Jane’s memory may be mailed to Behr Funeral Home, 1491 Main Street, Dubuque, Iowa 52001, Attn: Mary Jane Kramer Family.

Online condolences may be left for the family at www.behrfuneralhome.com