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October 14, 2025 by [post_author_posts_link_outside_loop]

Ensuring the Future

Estate Attorney Designates Funds to Continue Philanthropy

For attorney Ron Cramer, trust has always been the cornerstone of his life’s work. As he retires after 50 years of legal practice, Ron is doing what he has done for decades — ensuring that the hopes and generosity of others live on in Marion, Ohio.

Ron is a product of the Greatest Generation’s values. Born in Galion in the late 1940s, one of his earliest memories was his father’s call back to service at the start of the Korean War. His parents’ sense of duty — his father a Marine in WWII, his mother driving with two small boys to join him — left a permanent impression. From them, Ron learned that commitment to family was a way of life.

Following his father’s example, Ron worked his way through school at Ohio State’s Mansfield campus, then as a chemistry and physics teacher in Copley, before pursuing law. He enrolled in the University of Akron’s evening program while still teaching full time, a grueling schedule that reflected his work ethic and determination to build a better future for his young family.

When it came time to begin his career, Ron and his wife, Marcia, chose Marion. The law firm of Donathan, Michael & Davis took a chance on him, and Ron quickly became immersed in the business and farming community. He learned law not just from books, but from mentors like William Kay Davis, whose integrity inspired Ron’s own approach.
Ron soon became a trusted advisor to several of Marion’s founding families, many with no children but a deep desire to invest in their hometown. They turned to him not only for legal advice, but for guidance in shaping their legacies. Over time, he helped them create charitable trusts, private foundations, and estate plans that ensured their generosity lived on.

For Ron, this became a calling. “I have been able to continue their good work and intentions and to support what they knew and appreciated in Marion,” he says. Each grant felt personal, an extension of the people he knew so well.

Now, as Ron transitions into retirement, he is taking a step to ensure these gifts — and their impact — last forever. Partnering with Marion Community Foundation, he has established endowment funds in honor of many longtime clients, among them names from Marion’s history — William Kay Davis, Merle & Peg Hamilton, Evelyn Walter, Mary Hollaway, and the Habluetzel family. More than 30 funds will support causes dear to his clients, from Ohio State Marion to the Marion Palace Theatre, in perpetuity.

For Ron, choosing Marion Community Foundation as steward was an easy decision. A former Board member, he has watched it grow into the trusted leader in local philanthropy.

“What makes ‘forever’ possible is a good investment policy and a good spending policy, both of which Marion Community Foundation has,” he said. “It’s as close to perfect as possible.”

As he reflects on 50 years as an attorney, Ron sees this not as an ending, but a continuation. “The trust my clients placed in me is a personal burden — one I am honored to carry,” he says. “Creating these funds is my way of keeping that trust and ensuring their love for Marion continues for generations.”

With Marion Community Foundation now carrying forward the philanthropy he helped shape, Ron can step back knowing the community he served so faithfully will remain strong. His story is one of service, stewardship, and a deep belief that one person — and one well-planned gift — can change a community forever.

READ MORE:
Merle & Peg Hamilton Funds
Wm Kay Davis Funds
Habluetzel Family Funds
Mary Hollaway Funds

Filed Under: News

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