Obituary

Fredericka (Owen) Crandell, 94, of Kendallville died Tuesday, October 11, 2011, at 4:38 p.m. in Lutheran Life Villages, Kendallville.

Mrs. Crandell was born June 9, 1917, in Washington, D.C. to Richard B. and Fredericka (Smith) Owen. She was a graduate of Western High School and Strayer College. She married James Lerch Crandell in Washington, D.C. in 1939.

She spent many summers on the Chesapeake Bay in Shady Side, Maryland where her parents had a summer cottage. Fredericka met her husband of 52 years in Shady Side, Maryland and lived there most of her adult life. She remained in Maryland until moving to Indiana in October, 2003.

In her youth, Fredericka, "Freddie", loved Girl Scouting and was a member of the DAR. She attended the Presbyterian church as a child. She was an active member of St. John's Episcopal Church in Shady Side and attended Christ Episcopal Church in West River, Maryland in later years. Freddie was also a member of the Shady Side Rural Heritage Society. She kept beautiful rose gardens and African violets were always in bloom on the kitchen window sills.

She was extremely proud of her Welsh heritage and interested in her family genealogy. In 1994, she and her daughter, Sarah, traveled to Wales and visited her ancestor's homesteads in Maethlon near Aberdovey.

Surviving are two daughters and sons-in-law, Gwendolyn C. and George C. Klein of Prince Frederick, Maryland and Sarah and Martin Thomas of Hudson, Indiana; three grandchildren, George C. Klein, II, Cynthia D. Zacharias, and James C. Crandell; and one great granddaughter, Elizabeth R. Klein.

In addition to her husband, James Lerch Crandell, and her son, Jimmy Lerch Crandell, she was preceded in death by a sister, Frances Taylor, and brothers, Richard B. Owen and George C. Owen.

A celebration of life service will be Saturday, October 15, 2011, at 2:30 p.m. in Young Family Funeral Home, Kendallville Chapel, 222 South State Street, Kendallville, Indiana with Rev. Kenneth Weaver of the First Presbyterian Church in LaGrange officiating. A private burial will take place at a later date at Christ Episcopal Church, West River, Maryland.

Calling will be Saturday, October 15, 2011, from 1 p.m. until time of service in the funeral home.

The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to Shady Side Rural Heritage Society, PO Box 89, Shady Side, MD 20764 or to the First Presbyterian Church, 200 W. Michigan Street, LaGrange, IN 46761-1820.

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.youngfamilyfuneralhome.com