In fact, Ken Cramer was 59 years old.

Thanks for the picture. Can't say I remember meeting him.

What happened to Ken Cramer is really sad, and the Owner of Cambo Cruise is (in a certain part) lucky, not to be involved in the accident.
Isn't it the gang way of Cambo Cruise?
I am really horrified by the security on the river. The laws are not applicated.
The port is insured and that's what save the Cambo Cruise's owner, because his boat is not (...) as 97% of boats on the river.
Just two boats are insured yet at Phnom Penh, (and I think in all Cambodia), Kanika & Queen Mary boat owned by a French Guy.
Be insured means that all safety equipments are aboard, and are regularly checked by the insurance Company.
The boat has to be in perfect statment, the hule, the engines, the gangway, and the most important, the Captain has to get a REAL licence. (The big Most of drivers don't get it ).
The River is Magic, it is the Health of Phnom Penh and a wonderfull attraction for tourist.
Things have to change, it is the 3rd accident in Cambodia since 2 months with 6 people died (4 in Kampot, 1 in Sihanouk, 1 in Phnom Penh).
God bless Ken Cramer and the 5 other people.

Ken Cramer, owner of Canby Publications, died on 7 December 2016.

Ken leaves behind a wife, his most precious children, and two brothers and their wives. At the time that I wrote this, his mother was still alive. She passed on 21 December, just two weeks after her oldest son. His father survives him. For their privacy, I have removed all of their names, which Ken would have appreciated, as he was fiercely private.

Ken leaves a long term, loyal group of staff members, and he also leaves many dear friends, including me.

Ken’s move to Cambodia as a permanent resident did not surprise any who knew him well. Nothing fascinated him more than new experiences. As a young man, Ken left a promising career at Detroit-Edison in Michigan for international travel. In his late 20’s, he travelled all over Europe, the USA, SE Asia, and eventually India, where he especially liked Goa. In his 30’s, he drove the length of the Baja Peninsula, Mexico three times—once for a major eclipse of the sun—and loved the small town of Mulege, Baja with its Spanish mission and date trees, as well as Guerrero Negro, Baja, where he travelled into the ocean in a small boat to get near the whales, who rose right next to the boat. In the early 90’s, he returned to SE Asia for a period of time before settling back into working on his graduate degree in philosophy in Oregon.

His permanent move overseas occurred in 1994, but we first did a whirlwind of rough backpack travel. He especially liked touring the DMZ and Marble Mountains, in Vietnam, as well as the Ku Chi Memorial; Koh Lipe, in Thailand; Penang, Malaysia; and Na Trang, Vietnam, with its beautiful ocean and frangipani trees.

At one point in our travels, Ken and I crossed the Mekong River from Thailand to Laos, where we took an almost unheard of (for that time) trip down the Mekong River, eventually making our way throughout Laos via Vientiane and Luang Prabang, busing to Savannakhet, and then crossing into Vietnam at the DMZ, and hiking a dirt trail into the country of his current wife, Diem. After backpacking through Vietnam, we entered Cambodia from the east, a fateful decision that began a relationship of more than two decades with its people.

In Cambodia, Ken was immediately fascinated by the noise, the dust, the motorcycles, the cyclos, the electric lines strung around Psar Thmei, and the culture. He very much enjoyed the friendliness of the people, and talking with them about their culture. He was greatly moved by the trauma of 1975-1979, and spoke with many older Khmer people about it. Nearly immediately, he and I were hired by the Australian Center for Education, and Ken became the manager of the Sihanoukville Branch. We were there for about two years. I remember being driven to Ream Naval Base to teach English, with a grenade in the drink holder and an AK-47 in the back seat.

As a manager, Ken was logical but compassionate. As a teacher, he was informative and personable. Ken was well loved by the students of the school and was a superior teacher. With only a handful of expats there in 1994 - 1996, Sihanoukville was a desolate location, perhaps more so because of the continuing presence of Khmer Rouge on route 4 and further east.

Ken loved Angkor Wat, too. When we visited the temples, he would spend hours—from before sunrise to nearly sundown—visiting every temple. He knew each temple’s details well, and researched and created temple charts on his website, Canby Publications. With a keen interest in archaeology, he took careful notes of previous work and knew each temple by name and historical detail.

He appreciated the bas reliefs of Angkor Wat — the story of the churning of the ocean milk, with its apsaras rising — the giant faces of the Bayon, the pink stone of the Banteay Srey temple, the huge banyan trees of Ta Prohm, with the distant parrots chirping, and Ta Som, one of his personal favorites, with its giant Ficus tree growing up through the stones.

Ken was an astute election observer, (some observers were hired short-term, but Ken was always one of the long-terms). As an elections observer, his detailed observations, candid and thorough beyond measure, were greatly valued. At one time, he met with Colin Powell with other chosen observers, which was a great honor. Mostly, though, he was motivated to observe, record, interview, and work to support the mission. He simply excelled at that.

Later, he relocated to Phnom Penh, where he began researching for his first Canby Guide in 1996, firmly establishing his company Canby Publications, which continues operation to this day. With a company website and various social media accounts followed by thousands, Ken became an authority on living in Cambodia, and travel throughout the Kingdom.

1997 was a pivotal year for Ken. We had just gone to press with the first Canby Publications Guide, the Sihanoukville Visitors Guide. As we wondered how the guide would be received, Phnom Penh had become a tinderbox of political activity. On any given day we might see military action. Ken monitored the situation closely. A week later, I was in Aurora Clinique, undergoing a major emergency surgery. Ken was there the whole time, and acquiring pain medications for me when the staff refused to give me anything stronger than aspirin. Another four days passed, and I was released to go home, near the Independence monument. Two days later, July 5th , the bombing began. Ken sped off on his motorcycle to Lucky Market, to get final provisions, although our apartment was already stocked with food, water, and cigarettes. He had been preparing for days. Our days were mostly spent inside, but we were on our roof July 5th, watching the billowing smoke, tanks rolling in, the red tracers in the night sky, and listening to the drill of gunfire and bombing. Ken was one of the first on the street, driving his motorcycle cautiously to observe firsthand what was happening. In the following days, he became disgusted that the international press inaccurately reported ongoing activity around the city. Military activity was over at that point, and Ken had a magazine to distribute. His first move as a new businessman in Cambodia was to pay the printer and pick up the guides. Business needed to continue, but he worried about the print shop owner, and about the people of the country.

Those who knew Ken best and loved him most know him first as a keen thinker, a strong story teller, and a congenial man who kept his family life private. He dearly loved his family, above all, and worked exceptionally hard to provide. He was also a man’s man, a gentleman who loved a strong drink, a good smoke, and classic rock and roll, especially with lyrics with which he related—such as those of Jethro Tull and Cat Stevens. With a large staff who love him and who have remained faithful throughout his loss, the company continues; he would be proud of that. Ken has also been well supported and liked by a large expatriate community. Mostly, though, Ken Cramer was a family man, and his greatest pride and legacy includes his two well-loved children and a well-loved wife. There is no greater joy. Rest in peace Ken.

That's a great eulogy, thanks for posting. Sorry for your loss.

Thank you so much for sharing, I wish I'd had the chance to meet him.
(Ta Som is one of my favorites too).


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freneau wrote:
The port is insured and that's what save the Cambo Cruise's owner, because his boat is not (...) as 97% of boats on the river.

How do you know the Cambo Cruise boat is not insured? And why do you say that port being insured "saved" Cambo Cruise's owner? I don't understand your point.