Obituary for Joan Yvonne Crandall

 Joan Yvonne (Boleyn) Crandall, 88, of Elkader passed away suddenly and peacefully Wednesday, June 5, 2024, at the Elkader Care Center. She was the daughter of Beryl and Hazel (Woodle) Boleyn, born on December 31, 1935, in Des Moines, Iowa.

As a child, she lived on a farm near Fayette, Iowa. This is where she loved to play outside and grew to love animals. Her family moved to town as she grew older. Joan graduated from Fayette High School with the class of 1953.

Joan met a handsome fella named James Crandall at church In Wadena, Iowa. They married on August 15, 1957. Four children were born to this union, Clark, James, Janet, and Jeanne. They later divorced, but the love never died. Dad was the love of her life and there was no one that could compare to him in her heart.

Joan was a stay-at-home mom. She did the best with what she had to give us kids the best life possible. Times were hard, but we were loved. She was our biggest supporter and fan. Her children and then grandchildren were her world. Every vacation she took was to visit those who lived far away. She went to as many activities as she could to cheer on her loved ones.

After all her kids had graduated, she took a job at RISE as part of a group home staff. She made friends for a lifetime and loved all the RISE clients she cared for. She worked there for over 20 years and was over 70 years old when she retired.

Joan was an avid Iowa Hawkeyes, UCLA Bruins, Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Dodgers fan. She loved every sport, but football was her favorite. She loved Dean Martin, Elvis Presley, and The Beach Boys. All of us kids and her grandkids grew up listening to these performers. Her favorite show was NCIS with Mark Harmon. One of her favorite memories was getting to see Dean Martin perform in Las Vegas. Her daughter, Janet, arranged a trip for her to visit and see him. Then another time while there visiting, she went to see him again. So not once, but twice did she get to see her favorite.

Her kids and grandkids were everything to her and her greatest joy was to spend time with them. She was proud of every one of them and loved them fiercely. We will miss this wonderful woman but are at peace that she is free from the horrible disease that slowly took her from us. 

Joan is survived by her children, James (Tangie) Crandall of Davenport, IA; Janet (Robert Taylor) of Pass Christian, MS; Jeanne (Barry Curran) of Elkader, IA. Her Grandchildren, T.J. (Mandy) Crandall of Osage, IA; Tyler (Rebecca) Crandall of Waterloo, IA; Erin (Martin McIntyre) of Trussville, AL; Elizabeth (Dexter Yaddof) of Truro, IA; Jamee (Adam Winters) of Independence, IA; Torre Curran of Elkader, IA; Joseph (Mera) Angel of Fredericksburg, VA; Trista Curran of Elkader, IA. Her great grandchildren Calin, Cole and Gracelyn Crandall; Araya Taylor; Tripp, Ronan, and Whitt McIntyre; Roslyn and Maren Yaddof; Landon and Lee Winters; Ardenne Angel; and baby Crandall and baby Angel on the way.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Beryl and Hazel Boleyn, her son in infancy, Clark Eugene and her ex-husband, James L. Crandall.

The family is planning a Celebration of Life set for July 14 at 2 pm at Johnson's Reception Hall in Elkader. There are no funeral services per Mom's request. We want to remember this amazing woman by playing her favorite music and sharing stories!! Because she was one of the biggest Hawkeye fans ever, we suggest in honor of her you wear your Hawkeye gear!! Or if you prefer, dress casually.