<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
</head>
<body>
<p><em>Frank Nevin Cremer</em> was born on October 2, 1938 and grew up in West Reading, PA. His parents were Robert D. Cremer Sr. and Theresa V. Cremer. His father came from a family of limited means and was proud that he worked his way through Carnegie Tech during the Great Depression, then went to work for a building construction firm of which he later became president and owner. Frank’s older brother, Bob, was a member of USMA’s Class of 1956. It was at West Reading High School that Frank first met Frances Mirenna, to whom he was later married for 56 years. While there, he excelled in academics and on their athletic teams, secured an appointment to West Point as a qualified alternate and joined the Class of 1960 on July 3, 1956. As a cadet he seemed to embody the persona of his cadet company, L-2. He played some “C” Squad basketball, belonged to the Golf Club and really enjoyed his three years with the Cadet Glee Club. With no apparent sweat he graduated in the top quarter of the class while serving as an ideal teammate and classmate.</p>
<p>Frank was commissioned in the Field Artillery. He earned his jump wings and Ranger Tab at Fort Benning, GA before heading to Fort Sill, OK and Fort Bliss, TX and the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course. His first non-school assignment was an idyllic stop at a Nike Hercules missile site at a pretty little spot just north of San Francisco, CA, where he served as a platoon leader and executive officer. It was during those pleasant two years in 1961 that their son, Frank Jr., was born. Next, a three-year tour in Germany was split between a tour with a German air defense unit (living in a German town, working on a German Kaserne, and practicing his German language skills) and a staff job in Heidelberg. Their oldest daughter, Cathy Cremer Larson, was born in Heidelberg in 1964.</p>
<p>He returned to the States just long enough to visit Fort Bliss and Fort Sill again for the Field Artillery Officer Advanced Course. Then it was off to Vietnam as an artillery battery commander. His return brought him back into the Nike business again as S-3 and deputy commander of a facility in Wilmington, OH. The family greatly enjoyed being together again in a very pleasant small-town atmosphere. It was here that their youngest, Lori Cremer Anaya, was born on August 10, 1969. It was too good to last, as that assignment was soon followed by a short tour in Korea in the G-3 office of the 8th Army, where he earned his second Meritorious Service Medal. Then it was back to a plush assignment at the Naval Command and Staff Course in Portsmouth, RI. Next up was a three-year stint at West Point teaching in the Office of Military Instruction. It was a unique and enjoyable assignment, especially for the kids, at their age. Frank took advantage of an on-post educational program to earn his master’s degree in education. There was time for one more assignment before he retired. They retuned to their old stompin’ grounds in El Paso, TX, where he was on the faculty of the Air Defense School until he retired in 1981 as a lieutenant colonel.</p>
<p>They stayed in El Paso after retirement. Frank worked for several defense contractors, mostly as a system analyst for operational test and evaluation programs. All three of their children (and seven grandchildren!) were in Texas. Both Frank and Fran spent a lot of time in the pool, Fran with water-aerobics and Frank swimming laps. In retirement he channeled his old Glee Club days and became active with the “Border Chorders.” He remained an avid sports fan of the Black Knights, the UTEP Miners and the Cincinnati Bengals. His favorite sporting event, however, was sitting in the bleachers and watching his grandchildren compete. His grandchildren are very proud of their Grampa. They are Paul Cremer and his wife, Isabella, of Asheville, NC; Joseph J. Cremer and Abbye C. Cremer of Houston, TX; Erin M. Larson of Austin, TX; and Matthew D. Larson, Dominic A. Anaya and Lauren R. Anaya of El Paso.</p>
<p>Frank died on August 17, 2016 in El Paso. His was not a life lived on the front pages. He was just one of those steady, unflappable troopers that everyone could depend on to hold up his end of the bargain. His service and love for his family, his country and his alma mater were unsurpassed. Well Done, Frank; Be Thou at Peace.</p>
<p><em>— Family and Classmates</em></p>
</body>
</html>