Joan Marie Crabb

Joan Marie Crabb, 82, of Brooklyn, Mich., passed away on Sept. 23, 2017. Born in Oelwein, Iowa, Joan was the youngest of nine children.

She was preceded in death by her parents, John J. and Amanda R. (Erb) Wall; her husband, Gerald W. Crabb; brothers, Leonard, James, Stanley and Lyle; sisters, Hazel, Harriet and Helen. She is survived by one sister, Ella Mae; sons, Richard (Clara) Crabb and Michael (Rebecca) Crabb; seven grandchildren, Joshua, Keith, Michaelyn, Amanda, Eric, Tim and Tricia and eleven great-grandchildren.

Joan was raised in Monroe and graduated from Monroe High School in 1952. She worked for AT&T Telephone Company in South Bend, Ind. once she was out of school. She eventually met and married Gerald W. Crabb from Manitou Beach. After raising a family in the Manitou Beach area, she moved to various cities with her husband as his job changed. She lived in Grand Rapids, Greenville, Hanover-Horton and LaGrange, Ind., with her husband. After her husband’s death in 2002, she moved to South Bend, Ind., to be near her only living sibling. In 2016 she moved back to Brooklyn to be closer to family.

Joan enjoyed gardening, watching birds and generally being outside with nature. She was an avid weather watcher after living through the Palm Sunday tornadoes that swept through the Devils Lake area in 1965. In celebration of Joan’s life, the family will receive friends at the Brown-Van Hemert Funeral Home in Addison on Thursday, Sept, 28, 2017 from 3-8 p.m. A funeral ceremony will be held the following morning on Friday at 11 a.m. at the funeral home, with Pastor Rich Zawadzki officiating. In lieu of flowers, contributions are suggested to the Brooklyn American Legion, Wilber-Bartlett Post #315, Brooklyn, which would be appreciated in an effort to support our veterans.

Send condolences to the family at www.brownvanhemert.com.