About 600 people filled the O’Shaughnessy Educational Center auditorium Wednesday night to bid an emotional farewell to Bruce Kramer, former Dean of the College of Education, Leadership and Counseling.

Kramer died Monday of complications from Lou Gehrig’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a struggle he had faced after his diagnosis in 2010. Kramer served as dean for two years after his diagnosis and spent much of his time collaborating with Minnesota Public Radio’s Cathy Wurzer to tell his story through radio and a memoir.

The book, titled “We Know How This Ends,” follows Kramer’s experience with ALS from the beginning to when he was using a power wheelchair and struggling to breathe and talk in 2014. Former caretakers, students and friends attended the release of his memoir.

Wurzer, who created a series of 35 broadcast reports about Kramer called “Living with ALS,” helped co-author his book and spoke at Wednesday’s event.

“He had this mission,” Wurzer said. “His mission, as he said, was that he was a born teacher, and he saw this (the book) as a mastery class, and he was going to get it done, and he got it done.”

Early in his struggles, Kramer created a blog called “Dis Ease,” following his experience with ALS. He hoped to educate others also dealing with the debilitating effects of the disease.

“Bruce Kramer is – it’s so hard to say was. It’s so hard to use past tense right now – Bruce Kramer was a very deep thinker,” Wurzer said to the teary-eyed audience. “I mean he really thought things through, so what really drew me to him to begin with were these magnificent blog entries. This lyrical writing, very deeply thoughtful and philosophical about what was going on.”

One blog post, “Happy Complicated New Year,” demonstrated Kramer’s unique style.

“The simple realization of ALS requires unvarnished honesty just to deal with each new loss,” Kramer wrote. “Living while dying is no longer a theoretical concept but a necessary reality, and it can be confusing. The conflicting feelings that frame the final months of my life have emerged a new reality.”

Kramer’s sons, Jonathan and David, also spoke at the event and read from their father’s book. Jonathan Emerson-Kramer reflected on a section he read while spending the last few hours with his father.

“When he was diagnosed, I myself looked at what ALS meant as a loss, and this section addresses that within that sense of ALS and terminal illness: It’s not so much the loss, it’s the growth that is kept,” Jonathan said. “As we progressed through this, our family love deepened, and the relationship we had together really strengthened.”

Kramer worked with Deb Demeester, a College of Education Counseling and Leadership colleague, to develop classes, build websites and make materials that would help ALS patients and their caregivers.

“One of the things that Bruce discovered really quickly was that the doctors would deal with the physical part, but there was a whole lot more to ALS than the physical part,” DeMeester said. “One night … he sent a four-page email to about six people saying we need to do some research – saying that we here at the university have gifts that the ALS community needs. We can help them with how to educate patients, we can help them with addressing the whole person rather than just the physical body.”

According to Wurzer, Kramer was the “busiest dying man she had ever met.” He always had things to do, she said. “I would have loved to meet Bruce Kramer pre-ALS because he was just this whirlwind of energy.”

After reporting on Kramer’s condition for several years, Wurzer considers herself a part of the family. “I will never forget Bruce Kramer because he is now a part of me, and that is really wonderful.”

The St. Thomas Chamber Singers performed at the event with Jearlyn Steele, a well-known Twin Cities performer. Kramer received a degree in music education and a mastery in vocal performance from Ball State University.

St. Thomas President Julie Sullivan also honored Kramer and his accomplishments.

“The fact that we have filled this auditorium, as well as overflowed classrooms in this building, is the truest testimony of the respect, affection and love that we have as a community for Bruce,” Sullivan said.

Eric Bromback can be reached at brom0030@stthomas.edu.