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Victor
When Victor Kramer passed away this week a light went out in a lot of people’s lives.
First and foremost, of course, I’m thinking of his wife, Karen Fawcett, the publisher of BonjourParis.com.
But the list of those who will miss him greatly, my wife and I among them, is long. Victor was one of those individuals who everyone considered not just a new acquaintance, but a real friend within moments of a first encounter.
His eyes twinkled constantly. His smile was infectious. He exuded companionship and complicity on sight.
And he was smart as hell, although he never flaunted it. His background as an Italian-born immigrant to the United States, as a businessman, as a publicist and a journalist, to list just a few of his accomplishments, was impressive.
He was a great—and constant—storyteller with a seemingly inexhaustible supply of funny anecdotes and an even more fascinating list of amusing or instructive tales drawn from his own life experience.
He was in a sense a renaissance man; a gracious host, a talented musician, an impressive linguist, a storehouse of literary and political knowledge and wisdom, an avid overseer of the magnificent garden surrounding his and Karen’s home in Provence, and a dedicated and talented cook who would not have seemed out of place masterminding the kitchen of a three-star Italian restaurant.
He was a dedicated family man and, despite his quickness to spot and condemn what was wrong in the world, he remained an unfailing optimist. 
Most of all, however, he was a rock of Gibraltar for Karen, backing her up, or toning her down as the occasion demanded, but never letting her down.
In the well over 15 years of friendship with Victor and Karen that my wife Christine and I cherish, he never once disappointed us and constantly increased our admiration.
We were an ocean away physically in the France he loved so much, but mentally and emotionally we were by his side when he left this world, resigned, upbeat and courageous as always.
That was the Victor we knew. That was the Victor we loved and that is the Victor we will always remember.
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The family would like to request that all donations to go to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) -- an international, medical humanitarian organization that is also private and not-for-profit: http://www.msf.org/
