Joan G. Crum

Joan G. Crum

Joan G. Crum of Florence, Oregon died Oct. 14, 2008 at the age of 83. She was born to Forrest E. Gilmore and Giralda (Schenk) Gilmore in Alhambra, Calif. on May 14, 1925 and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After graduating from high school, she returned to Southern Calif., marrying Deforest J. Crum in 1947. Mrs. Crum lived in Costa Mesa, Calif. for over 50 years until 2004 when she moved to Florence, Oregon.

Widowed in 1962, Mrs. Crum raised her 3 daughters independently with a deeply loving and generous spirit. Her life was filled with artistic and creative pursuits including oil, watercolor, acrylic painting, bronze and ceramic sculpture, printmaking, jewelry-making, fabric and sewn product design, photography, and hundreds of other arts and crafts projects. Throughout her life, her special gift for seeing the unending beauty in creation and reflecting it in her art was a constant inspiration to her loved ones and friends.

Mrs. Crum is survived by daughter Linda Cossey of La Mesa, Calif., daughter and son-in-law Marlene and James Peel of San Juan Capistrano, Calif., and daughter and son-in-law Jan and William Jaroncyk of Florence, Oregon. Also surviving are grandson Matthew Derry, sister Jean Cheeves, brother Forrest R. Gilmore, and step-grandchildren Ryan Jaroncyk, Joseph Griffith, Robert Griffith, Christine Twitchell and Sean Griffith. Family will arrange celebration of life ceremony for a future time. Memorial contributions may be made to the National Parkinson Foundation.

(picture attached: JGCrum.jpg)