MARY IRENE CROWELL

Mary Irene (née Harness) Crowell passed away peacefully in her home in Goodyear, AZ on December 8, 2016 with her loving family at her side.

Mary was born on October 11, 1937 and raised with her younger brother Francis in Walworth, WI where she also met and married Doug Crowell in 1957.  She was a loving and dedicated mom to her three daughters, supporting their many activities, encouraging them to spread their wings through new adventures and experiences, and making their home a gathering place for all their friends with her fun-loving humor.

Her love of travel in the early years was met through numerous family trips, crisscrossing the country with their camper trailer, leaving enduring memories of favorite places such as the Grand Tetons.  Visits to her brother's postings and career events reflected their special bond.  In later years, she broadened her travels to Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Korea, and the Caribbean.

She was a master organizer who loved hosting family, friends and Coach Crowell's sports teams, and had renowned passion for detail making these events special and memorable.  After the devastating loss of her daughter Cherie, Mary's faith and strength enabled her to continue on and eventually serve as an example for everyone she knew and met.

She worked in early childhood education and served as a special education instructor at Westmer Junior High, Joy, IL during which time she also graduated from Blackhawk College, Moline, IL.

She loved being involved with the community, as an original organizer for the Aledo Rhubarb Festival, teaching Sunday school, working at church summer camps and vacation bible schools, assisting children's reading at her  grandchildren’s' schools, and many other capacities.  She was passionate about her hobbies and group activities.  She was an accomplished seamstress, quilter, stamper and scrapbooker and thrived on her book club, bible studies and social outings, such as her Sugar and Spice get-togethers.

Mary was her grandsons' number one sports fan, with Christopher in Seattle, and with the younger boys after her move to Arizona.        Mary was predeceased by her mother and father, Jennie Baars (Ed) and Elmer Harness and daughter Cherelynn.  She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Doug Crowell, her daughters Kayla Baretta (John, Gig Harbor, WA) and Michele Kerfoot (Doug, Goodyear, AZ), brother Rear Admiral USN (Ret.) Francis Harness (Marti, Cedarville, MI), sister Linda Johnson (John, Land O Lakes, FL ), her grandchildren, for whom she had a profound love, Christopher Baretta (Charleston, SC), Alexander, Andrew and Zachary Kerfoot, and her 'bonus' grandchildren Paul Kerfoot (Canmore, AB) and Patricia (Kerfoot) Burke (Washington, DC), her dear aunt, Ruby Harness (Walworth, WI), as well as her cousins, brothers/sisters-in-law, many special nieces and nephews, and her feisty dog, Bailey.  She will be dearly missed by her numerous friends, for whom she had the true gift of making each and everyone feel special.

The family would like to thank, in particular, The Church at Litchfield Park pastors, Dr. Clarence Adoo and staff at the AZ Cancer Care Center, Dr. Ramit K. Sharma, the staff at the Boswell Outpatient Infusion Center, and the many other medical staff for their love and support over the past several months.       In lieu of flowers, Mary's wish is for donations to be made to The Church at Litchfield Park children's programs or the Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) Foundation. A memorial service will be held 2:00 p.m. Saturday, January 14, 2017 at the Church at Litchfield Park.