Alice Jean Kamerer, 1925-2011
Alice. or Jean. Making things better, as she always did.
Note from David and Tom: Thank you for the love and support – we deeply appreciate your thoughts and prayers. We’ll be adding more pictures and video to this page in coming days. We would love it if you would leave a comment at the bottom of the page.
Alice Kamerer of Sarasota died August 9 from complications due to a stroke. She was 85. Services are pending.
Alice Jean Kamerer was born in Rock Island, Illinois in 1925. Her father was a Norwegian immigrant and her mother was from Scotland. She grew up in a blended family, a noisy, happy home filled with older brothers who doted on her, the youngest of six siblings.
She was a 1944 graduate of Rock Island High School. On Feb. 14, 1942, the sophomore girl had her first date with senior Herbert Kamerer, who would court her throughout high school and during his World War II Army service. After the war they were married, and spent 58 years building a life together.
She was instrumental in the success of the family accounting business in Galesburg, Illinois, which grew into Kamerer, Blucker & Kneer. Herb, who earned his MBA degree and his CPA certificate, led the accounting team while she ran the office. The firm’s clients included small businesses, farms, municipalities, school districts and medical practices.
In 1981 Herb and Alice sold the firm and moved to Sarasota, Florida, where they continued accounting work, but also found pleasure boating and fishing the Florida gulf coast.
Alice was happiest entertaining family and friends, and created many memorable meals whether camping, on their pontoon boat, or on her deck at Lake Bracken. She loved to sew and made her own greeting cards; her hands were never idle.
She was preceded in death by Herb, who died in 2004. She is survived by two sons, Tom, of Sarasota; and David, of Chicago; and two grandchildren, John and Anna.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Loyola University Chicago’s School of Communication, 820 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611.
Gifts may also be made online at LUC.edu/SOCGiving. Please indicate “in memory of Alice Kamerer” in the special instructions box.
contact David: david@davidkamerer.com
contact Tom: tomkamerer@gmail.com
My daughter Anna interviewed Alice about her life in the summer of 2009. Here’s the first clip. I’m working on getting more clips edited and online. In this clip she talks about growing up in Rock Island, IL, and meeting her future husband, Herb Kamerer:
Here she talks about her trips to Chicago with her brother and to see Herb:
{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
So sorry to hear about your loss. Thanks for sharing more about your mother in words and photographs.
Alice was a very big part of my early life. This wonderful lady raised me as if I were a child of her own and in many ways she lives on in the ways she impacted my life. My deepest condolences and love.
Dear David,
May God bless you, your brother and your family with strength and courage to move forward and understand it by and by,
Peace and Blessings,
Doretha
I am very sorry to hear of your loss. What a loving tribute you prepared for your mother. I almost feel as if I know her now. My sincere condolences. God bless.
What a loving tribute. May you mother’s memory be a blessing always.
Such a nice tribute to your sweet mother…..And a treasure captured by Anna!
Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Love you!
David, Tom, Anna, John,
I am so deeply saddened by your loss; I know how deeply you loved Alice and how very dear she was. I am keeping you close to my heart during this difficult time.
My love,
Christina
David,
I’m sorry to hear of your Mother’s passing. What a beautiful tribute. The pictures make me think she had a great life, what a lovely woman. She had to be awfully proud of you.
Jim
Thinking of you and your family……prayers…..
David, so sorry to see this! If there is anything you or yours needs, please don’t hesitate to give a shout. You are in our prayers.
I am traveling on business, but I need you to know that you are in my thoughts in a big way. I have the video playing now and listening to her stories. So glad that Anna was able to capture it. I am sure you and your family made her so proud. I know you loved her very much.
Great photos and wonderful idea of sharing the videos. She seemed quite the woman with a wonderful childhood and very happy life. Thinking of you, John and Anna during this difficult time.
Much Love,
James
Losing your Mom is tough at any age. I hope your wonderful memories of many years together somehow make this time a little easier for you.
I remember fun times at Lake Bracken on the pontoon boat with the adult Kamerers–we of course, were still the Bracken “kids”.
Sweet David I am so sorry for your loss. I can’t really imagine what it must be like. From what Deanna has shared with me in the past, You were a very good son. I loved seeing the videos and pictures of your mom and dad. They are so good looking and I can certainly see you in them! I hope to see you soon and know you , Anna, John, and your brother are in my thoughts. Love, Donna
You told me early on that if you have any good qualities they come from your mother. You have many, many good qualities. So, I’m forever indebted to Alice. She and your Dad lived life fully and made it rich with laughter. I hope you find comfort in knowing she lived the life she wanted. Always busy, doing for others, creating everything from cards to clothes, delighting in her family, entertaining and keeping the household running shipshape. She was part of that Greatest Generation. And helped it earn the moniker.
I feel sad for the passing of your mother. Her tribute is beautiful, the photos portrait a radiant, thoughtful, and loving soul.
My love to you.
Bob
Tom and David:
I am so sorry to hear of your mom’s passing. I have so many fond memories of your mom and dad. Their lives in Galesburg were filled with fun and laughter. I remember Dolly and all the fun our parents had together. It was great living on Monroe Street with them just down the street. How fortunate you were to have her so long in your lives. Please know that you and your families will be in my thoughts and prayers.
Lynn Brown (Noffsinger)
I feel your loss, David. Mothers are keepers of your story. Alice is fortunate you have preserved hers so well. Thinking of you and Tom.
Dear Tom and David,
Your mom was a VERY SPECIAL LADY and will be dearly missed by all.
We have fond memories of your whole family, including Missy.
Our Thoughts and Prayers are With You.
Love, Mariann and Sherry
Dear Tom & David,
Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this time. What a wonderful tribute you have given to your mother. I watched the videos that Anna had helped compose. A few of the stories had been told to me while your Mom and I worked together. We always made time for stories and occasionally we get in the car and she would show me the neatest places in Sarasota that I had not seen. We were known as the team of Frick & Frack and she put a sign on her office door that said the” Think Team”. She & I had a lot of laughs together and she will be sadly missed.
Tom & David,
I am so sorry to hear about Alice. She was a wonderful woman and a good friend to everyone she met. I have many memories of her traveling, cooking, shopping and being the very busy person she was. My thoughts and prayers are with your family and I am glad she has found peace at last.
Tom & David,
We all were saddened by the news of your mother. I’m from Moline, Illinois, so Alice and I talked about our high school days many times, as we had many mutual friends.
Alice was the secretary/accountant of Southwood Block 2, in Venice, FL. and as President of that association, we worked together often over several years. she always attended our Board meetings and was very helpful. She had a great memory and loved to tell her stories of her wonderful life. She will certainly be missed by all who knew her.
David and Tom and families,
So sorry to hear of the loss of your mom. She was a wonderful and generous woman who will be greatly missed. My deepest sympathy to your family.
Dear Tom and David and family,
You have our deepest sympathy on the passing of Alice. She was such a sweet lady and such a great cook. Loved her dinners and cocktail hours.
She will be missed.
I am so sorry to hear about Alice. She was a wonderful, generous, caring person with a great spirit and will be missed by all. She is in my thoughts and prayers.
David,
My deepest sympathy to you and your family on the death of your mom. Sounds like she was one neat lady!
Don
Dave, my brother, I’m so sorry for your loss. Your folks were my folks too for so many great years and I remember your mother fondly.
Kind regards to you and your family.
Bill
Dear David,
I just returned from my summer teaching in Rome and heard the news of your dear mother. You and your brother wrote a very touching tribune to her and I can’t help but see a good many of those attributes of her in you. I know from recent experience that losing a parent is never easy no matter how long we are able to share their time and love. My condolences to you and your family.
Beth
Dear David and Tom:
My sympathy to you, Tom, Anna and John on the loss of mother /grandmother Alice Jean. Her father was uncle to my mother – though closer in age than is usually expected due to the large families of the era. Sorting that out, Alice Jean was one day less than a year younger than I and she and the family came from Rock Island to visit us in Chicago, which left people sleeping all over the floors . I was so jealous of your Mom with all those older brothers doting on her. The only girl for them and her parents, and so cute, while I was the fourth girl in a family of five.
Now I am looking at some of the beautiful cards she made and sent to me from Florida. She was a happy, talented woman, a gracious cousin, so well remembered.
Dear David andTom,
We just found this and were touched by the wonderful history your mother related. We always enjoyed our visits with her.She would relate stories about my father,Oats, and her as she was growing up. She was a beautiful woman inside and out and so talented. We were hoping we would hear when you had the memorial service in Sarasota. June Piff called me a few days ago and wanted to know about your mother. I will pass this on to her.
Again,our deepest sympathy.
Mark and Patt (Ruud) Suwyn
Dear Tom and David,
I only recently found out about your mom’s passing. I am terribly sorry to hear of this. Until Aunt Jean had the stroke, she and I were in touch. My mother Linda Herndon was her much older sister.
I have very fond memories of visiting her and your dad in Galesburg when I was but a child. Actually they gave me some of the happiest memories of my childhood.
With sympathies and blessings,
Pat
The Rev. Patricia A. Cook AOJN