Many in local sports community will mourn passing of Denise Cramsey

FROM KEITH GROLLER

I had just completed my interview with Northampton football coach Bob Steckel on Thursday after his team's win over Catasauqua when he turned around and said, "Hey Keith, did you hear about Denise Cramsey?"

He proceeded to tell me the sad news that Cramsey, the Central Catholic graduate and Emmy-winning TV producer had died at the age of 41 after suffering a brain aneurysm.

I can't remember if Denise played sports at CCHS or not, but I knew her because her brothers Bill and Tim were athletes at CCHS. In fact, Tim was the star quarterback on Central's 1993 state championship football team.

And also, after the sudden passing of Bill Cramsey -- Bill, Tim and Denise's father -- in April of 1996 I got to know Denise better because I tried to help her promote the Bill Cramsey Memorial Scholarship Fund.

It was a great cause with the scholarship going to an exemplary youth who pursued academic and athletic excellence. It was designed to go to a Lehigh County student-athlete who had shown excellence in the classroom and the playing field.

The project was near and dear to the Cramsey family and Denise was the driving force behind it as the family turned its grief and sadness into something positive. When somebody is as passionate about something as Dense was about this scholarship, I really wanted to do my best to help her.

I remember talking to her several times about it, did a short story or two, and I know that Punkin Miller and me had Denise on our radio show several times to talk about the scholarship fund as she really wanted to get the word out.

I do remember that Allen's Darin Lenhart was the first Cramsey Memorial Scholarship winner in 1997 and Parkand's Matt Thomas and Southern Lehigh's Deena Moore won it in 1998.

I also remembered Denise. She was an impressive person, clearly very smart and highly motivated; a real leader type of person.

As so often happens, I lost touch with Denise as she moved to Philly and then to Hollywood and she got deeper into the TV industry. I am not sure if the memorial scholarship continued after the first few years.

But I never forgot her and when I visited with Tim Cramsey, now the University of New Hampshire's offensive coordinator, in September after covering the Lehigh-UNH up in Durham, I made sure to ask Tim about her.

"Doing great," is all he said.

And, so, to hear this news is very sad.

This was a terrific, bright young lady.

The fact that she made it as a success as a TV producer is not a surprise.

Her passing is yet another reminder that you just never know what's going to happen next. We should never take anything for granted.

I know that many in the local sports community, especially the CCHS community, know and love the Cramseys and this loss will impact a lot of people.

I am sure that Harold Fairclough, the Central football coach who was a teammate of Tim Cramsey back on that championship '93 team, is greatly shocked and saddened by this loss.

So many others connected to the CCHS sports scene, past and present, are devasted by this.

Tim and UNH have the week off in the FCS tournament and that's a good thing because it is going to be a difficult time for Tim and the entire Cramsey family.

One thing about the Cramseys, though, is that they have a lot of friends to rally around them.

They will need those friends to lend their support through what is going to be a most difficult time.

Please take a moment to send a kind thought or prayer to this great family and remember Denise Cramsey as a first-class young lady who worked hard to make it in this world and become a success.

She will most definitely be missed.

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