Walter Vernon Kramer—geologist, educator, explorer, and lifelong advocate for Earth and space sciences—passed away on May 4, 2026 in Waco, Texas. He is survived by his wife Ruth, daughter April, son-in-law Derek, and grandchildren Kivan and Branwen. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the geology scholarship fund at DelMar College or the engineering scholarship fund at McLennan Community College.

Picture young Vernon at his childhood home in Victoria listening to The Lone Ranger on the radio. That was where he first discovered the importance of mining professionals. His passion for mining grew, eventually leading him to Texas Western College (now the University of Texas at El Paso) where he made history as the last graduate to earn a bachelor’s degree in mining engineering. As a student there, he met and married the love of his life, Ruth. On the couple’s first date they watched a movie, then went for coffee. Over the course of the evening the couple pondered, “What if we got married and travelled around the world?” They tied the knot on October 13, 1964.

Travel and exploration shaped the next 30 years of his career as Vernon took jobs in countries spanning the globe and lived through some truly crazy experiences. He went skiing in waters known to contain piranhas and hunted boa constrictors in the jungle. He rode elephants to work, was threatened by armed soldiers, and learned to speak Thai and Spanish. He ate elephant foot curry and fried black crickets; saw the Himalayas and swam in the Black Sea. He once lived next door to fashion designer Oscar de la Renta in the Dominican Republic. In total, Vernon lived or worked in 42 states and 18 countries while searching for gold, oil, gas, tin, tungsten, bauxite, aluminum, potash, lime, and uranium.

In 1982, Vernon and Ruth decided to make a permanent home in Ingleside on the Bay. By now they had welcomed daughter April to the family. They grew roots in this new community, and Vernon began commuting to closer destinations like Mexico and Nevada. He also served as president of the Ingleside Beach Club, taught elementary school (winning teacher of the year), and served as a member of the Board of Directors for the San Patricio County Groundwater Conservation District.

After retiring from exploration, Vernon transitioned into academia, serving as a professor of geology at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi. Known for his approachable demeanor and passion for fieldwork, he inspired curiosity in those he taught, emphasizing real-world application alongside scientific theory. In 2009, he served as commander of a six-person crew at the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station on Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic—one of Earth’s closest analogs to Martian terrain. He also continued to travel, visiting Alaska, New Zealand, and Singapore with family.

Vernon retired from teaching in 2025. He loved gardening, staying active, and the movie Secondhand Lions. Walter Vernon Kramer is remembered as a beloved husband, father, and grandfather; a teacher who valued hands-on discovery; and an explorer who carried his love of geology from the deserts of Mexico to the jungles of Thailand. He leaves behind a legacy of intellectual curiosity, mentorship, and a life lived in pursuit of understanding the worlds both beneath our feet and beyond our planet.

To hear about Vernon’s travels in his own words, we encourage you to listen to the podcast For Love and Rocks at www.forloveandrocks.com.

The family would like to thank Skylar Acuña and Visiting Angels for their help during this time.

In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that contributions be made to the Ruth & Vernon Engineering Scholarship at the MCC Foundation.

FOR LOVE AND ROCKS