Livingston’s Beloved Crossing Guard Passes Away: John Kramer

LIVINGSTON, NJ — The crossing guard post at the corner of South Ashby and Irving avenues is missing a familiar face.

Local crossing guard extraordinaire John "Jack" Kramer, a 34-year veteran of the Livingston Police Auxiliary, passed away earlier this month at the age of 86, leaving a legacy of community involvement and broken-hearted friends.

Town officials described Kramer’s contributions to the Livingston community in a recent social media post.

According to his obituary, Kramer was a photographer at ITT in Clifton for 39 years before retiring in 1990. He was a member of the Livingston VFW, and “served his county proudly” in the U.S. Marine Corps during peacetime. He was also an elder at Grace Lutheran Church in Livingston for many years, as well as a member of the Livingston AARP.

Community members recalled their memories of Kramer on Legacy.com:

“I don't think I've ever seen him without a smile on his face. Both of my daughters, Ingrid and Bridget, enjoyed helping him as crossing guards. Even after both girls were out of Hillside, I almost always drove past his post after dropping them off at the middle school just to get a smile and wave on the way home.”

“Jack was a great man and we will miss him dearly. He was always so nice to all the kids at Hillside and had a smile and a joke for everyone. We spent 17 years at Hillside and looked forward to seeing Jack each and every one of those days.”

Photo: Livingston Public Schools, Facebook

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