Accident victim Kramer will be remembered for happy outlook

PIERZ -- Verna Kramer of Brainerd will always remember her husband as a happy-go-lucky and loving man with an optimistic view of the world.

"What always sticks out was, he would pat me on the back and say, 'Well Toots, everything's going to be OK,'" she said about her husband, Charles. "He was a caring man."

Charles Kramer, 58, was one of two victims in a two-vehicle accident Wednesday on Highway 25, four miles north of Pierz, the State Patrol said. The other victim was Mark Harrington, 38, Baxter.

Verna said Charles was a joyful man who will be remembered for his laughter. She added his death was a shock for all who knew him.

"Everybody thought, 'No, this can't be true, not Charlie,'" said Verna.

Charles Kramer was a heavy equipment operator for Rardin Construction Inc. He was also an avid fisherman and a fan of auto racing, Verna said.

The accident happened on Highway 25 at 193rd Street in Morrison County. The State Patrol reported Harrington's 1993 Ford station wagon was westbound on 193rd Street when, in dense fog, he broadsided Kramer's 1990 Chevy pickup, which was southbound on Highway 25. Both men were pronounced dead at the scene.

The accident was reported at 5:21 a.m. There were no passengers in either vehicle.