JoAnn M. Crim

JoAnn May Peck Crim died Sunday, July 13, at T’s Heart Elder Care in Corvallis. She was 86 and had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease for several years. She was born May 21, 1928, in Omaha, Nebraska, to Chauncey Earl Peck and Madge Bourne Peck. JoAnn was named for her grandparents Bourne (Joseph and Anna) and her aunt May Worthing. She lived in Lincoln and Hastings, Nebraska, until she was 9, when her family moved to Butte, Montana. JoAnn loved to sing and performed in her first voice recital at 14. She joined the choir in each church she attended, as well as numerous community singing groups. JoAnn was a Campfire Girl and often told stories of her time camping with them at Georgetown Lake, Montana. After graduating from Butte High School in 1946, she attended Montana State University in Bozeman. She was a member of Chi Omega sorority and a soprano in the university concert chorus. In the fall of 1949, JoAnn attended Merrill Palmer School in Detroit, Michigan, for one term before returning to Bozeman and graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in home economics in June 1950. By this time, JoAnn had met B. Shepard Crim and they were planning their wedding for Aug. 26, 1950. JoAnn made her beautiful wedding gown from $24 worth of ivory satin and was thrilled when her daughters, a daughter-in-law and various friends wore that same gown for their own weddings. Luckily, Mom was extremely patient and flexible, because their knack for moving frequently started early. The year their first child, Shep, was born, Mom and Dad moved six times, beginning and ending up in Bozeman. In September 1955, they moved to Oakland, California, so Dad could attend seminary. Mom always said she married a traveling salesman and was surprised to end up the wife of an Episcopal priest! While they were in California, Claudia was born. In June of 1958, the family moved to Sheridan, Montana, where they added a third child, Andy. After a year in Virginia City, Montana, the family moved to Millington, Tennessee, in 1961. As Mom wrote in a Christmas letter that year, “By a strange set of circumstances, we lived in three different houses during that year.” They moved again, to East Meadow, New York, in 1962, followed by a move to Houghton Lake, Michigan, in 1963, and another move, to Prudenville, Michigan, in 1964. It was there that their fourth child, Betsy, joined the family. Although she was a busy mom and priest’s wife, Mom found time to pursue her love of music by singing in Sweet Adelines in Michigan. In 1966, the family moved to Parkesburg, Pennsylvania, for a year until relocating again, to Coatesville, Pennsylvania. During this time, Mom taught mornings in a school for special-needs children, learned yoga (and was proud of her ability to stand on her head for three minutes) and sang in the the Coatesville Choraliers. She and Dad also bought their first house, a farmhouse that had been built in the 1730s. Mom had been clipping ideas from magazines for years and was thrilled to use many of them in remodeling the log and stone home. In 1971, they moved to Burns. Mom taught in a Headstart-type program and continued to sing every chance she got. As their children began heading to college, Mom and Dad continued moving: Tulare, California; Phoenix, Arizona; LeCompte, Louisiana; Santa Maria, California; and Wamego, Kansas. Here, she opened the Dutch Mill Inn restaurant and for a few years shared with the public her love of cooking. In 1987, they moved to Guam, where Mom taught preschool children and daily swam in the warm, aquamarine water. Mom adored life in Guam and always wished she could have returned. They bought property in Philomath in 1990 so they could retire, but that lasted only until they moved to Independence, Kansas, a few months later. Finally in 1993 they moved back to “the Farm” and enjoyed gardening and grandchildren for 11 years in the same house (their all-time record!). During this time Mom completed a lot of genealogy research and left us with treasured albums of photos and family information. In 2004, Mom and Dad moved into Corvallis to enjoy a simpler life. After Dad died, Mom lived at West Hills Assisted Living before moving in November to T’s Heart Elder Care. Our family especially would like to thank Teri, Matt and Barbara for loving and caring for Mom and Elwood these last eight months. Mom was the epitome of unconditional love. She had a wonderful sense of humor and a joyful laugh. She made friends easily and kept in touch with pals from every place she had ever called home. She was the queen of self-help books and was sure nearly every problem could be solved if you just read the right one. She was a fabulous cook and rarely followed a recipe. Mom loved a sale, even if she really didn’t need what was on sale! She had a heart of gold and would help anyone with anything. Even after Alzheimer’s had robbed her of so much, she fussed over the residents at her adult foster home and wanted to be sure they had everything they needed. Mom was preceded in death by her only sibling, Jim Peck, in 2009; and her husband, Shep, in 2012. She is survived by her beloved dog, Elwood II; four children, Shep and Sherry (Potter) Crim of Boise, Idaho, David and Claudia (Crim) Raleigh of Corvallis, Andy Crim and Beth Sleven of Valencia, California, and Lonnie and Betsy (Crim) Jones of Eugene; nine grandchildren, Dusty, Brandon, Zac and Tyson Crim, Seth, Bobby and Nathan Raleigh, Kaylei Jones, and Althea Crim; and one great-grandchild, Sawyer Raleigh. A visitation is set for 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, July 27, at McHenry Funeral Home in Corvallis. A funeral service will take place at 10 a.m. Monday, July 28, at the Episcopal Church of the Good Samaritan, 333 N.W. 35th St. in Corvallis. After a reception at the church, interment will take place at Mount Union Cemetery in Philomath. In honor of JoAnn’s favorite color, people may want to wear purple to the service. The family requests that any gifts be made in the form of a donation to Music Programs at Good Samaritan Episcopal Church; or to Friends of Corvallis Parks and Recreation, 1310 S.W. Avery Park Drive, Corvallis, OR 97333, for a memorial bench to be placed at Tunison Park, close to Mom and Dad’s last home.

Tributes

JoAnn M. Crim

May 21, 1928 - July 13, 2014