Michael Kramer

Michael Jeffrey Kramer, born in 1952 in the Bronx, NY, passed away unexpectedly from a cardio pulmonary event on July 8, 2025.

Many know Michael for his playful approach to life, musical prowess, and his immense technical skills and contributions.

Michael played with his chemistry set as a child, earned his Bachelor’s in Chemical Physics from Michigan State University, and Master’s in Physics from San Francisco State University. He planted roots in San Francisco, CA and worked for Lockheed Martin in Palo Alto for ten years on projects including propellant testing and space shuttle tile modeling. It was at Lockheed Martin that he met his beloved wife, Jane Bonvallet – though their love story didn’t begin until 25 years later.

Michael’s love of math led him to a software engineering career at several Silicon Valley startups. He retired at age 71 from A9, a subsidiary of Amazon where he was awarded a software patent “Anomaly Detector for a Group of Hosts” which utilized Fourier component vectors.

A gifted classical pianist, Michael found joy in sharing music with others, often playing for friends, at senior centers, and on random pianos found at malls, coffee shops and airports. He was also a dedicated inventor – happiest in his basement or garage, tinkering, fixing, and creating things.

Michael maintained close friendships throughout his life, connections both constant and deep. He was generous with love and time, and embodied the rare gift of mixing vulnerability with dry sense of humor in a single sentence. A poetic absurdist, he advocated for what he believed in without taking life too seriously.

Michael is survived by his wife Jane, his mother Vicki, his sister Susan and stepdaughter Shelly. He will be profoundly missed and forever remembered.

In lieu of flowers the family encourages a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital: http://fundraising.stjude.org/goto/michaelkramer