“Know that the Lord is God.
It is he that made us, and we are his;
we are his people …”
Psalm 100:3
COOPERSTOWN — Ronald E. Apman, a longtime, visible yet unassuming resident of the Village of Cooperstown, quietly passed away at his home Sunday, March 3, 2013. He was 79.
Born Dec. 21, 1933, in Middletown, he was the son of Harry and Dorothy (Kramer) Apman.
In his youth, Ron attended Cooperstown schools where he learned to play the trumpet. After graduating from Cooperstown High School with the Class of 1951, he attended the University of Vermont where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in the Social Sciences.
Returning to Cooperstown, Ron eventually settled into a quiet and humble lifestyle. Even though they might not have known him personally, many people in the Village recognized Ron in his daily comings and goings. Whether riding his bicycle - or in recent years his motorized scooter - or pushing his wheelbarrow on various errands including trips to the laundromat, he was a fixture in the Village.
He kept mostly to himself, but truly loved Cooperstown in his own unique way. He enjoyed eating out, especially at The Otesaga, and at church suppers.
An avid supporter of the Cooperstown Concert Series, he also enjoyed attending concerts and plays at the school and in Lakefront Park. He also liked to spend time on his boat on Otsego Lake.
Raised in a Christian household, Ron’s grandfather, the Rev. Charles Kramer, was the last pastor of the Church of the Messiah, Universalist, which he served from 1916 to 1924, and from 1933 to 1941. Located at the northeast corner of Pioneer and Church streets, Ron’s father owned the building from 1956 until 1958.
Later in his life, Ron was baptized and became a member of the First Baptist Church of Cooperstown on Dec. 24, 1995. He enjoyed singing as a tenor in the choir and was the church’s representative to the Cooperstown Council of Churches.
Ron is survived by his two sisters, Lois A. Fisher of Pompton Plains, N.J., and Gale Belilah and her husband, Karl, of Eliot, Maine, and St. Augustine, Fla., three nieces, Jamie, Jill and Janne; and several cousins, including Doug Walrath and his wife, Peg, of Cooperstown.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Dorothy Kramer Apman, who died in November 1989; and his father, Harry Apman, who died in August 1969.
A memorial service will be offered at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 14, 2013, at the First Baptist Church of Cooperstown with the Rev. Douglas Deer, pastor, officiating. In accordance with Ron’s wishes, there will be a time for refreshment and fellowship immediately following the service.
Later this spring, Ron will be laid to rest near his mother in the Charles Evans Cemetery in Reading, Pa.
Those who wish to remember Ron with a memorial gift, may do so by making a donation to the Deacon’s Assistance Fund of the First Baptist Church of Cooperstown, 21 Elm St., Cooperstown, NY 13326.
Arrangements are under the guidance of the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home in Cooperstown.
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