Louise (Kreipke) Crane

Louise (Kreipke) Crane, 94, of Evansville, passed away on Sunday, July 22, 2007, at St. Mary's Medical Center.

Louise was a former secretary, treasurer and president of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church Parent Teacher's Association. She was a 1930 graduate of Bosse High School.

Louise received her private pilot's license in 1955. She was the first woman to receive the Aviation Woman of the Year Award in 1972, and the Special Aviation Recognition Award in 1965. She was the former secretary and treasurer of the Indiana Aviation Trades Association.

Louise was a member of the Mesker Evansville Zoological Society and Wesselman Park Nature Center. She played violin with the J. Mitchell Humphrey Orchestra, which later evolved into the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra.

A very loving and devoted mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, her family was always most important to her and was her first consideration each day of her adult life. Living her unwavering faith, she instilled life's basic moral principles of responsible living while assuring that each and every one always knew they were special and could count on her unconditional support and love at all times. Never one to forget her family or friends, she faithfully acknowledged every person's special occasion through the years, as well as all the holidays, particularly Christmas, with a personal card or letter to let every one in her life know how much they were appreciated and that they were always in her thoughts, even during this past difficult year when her own health was failing and every correspondence took special effort to complete.

Known affectionately as "Esie" to her brother since childhood, Louise to her friends, and most lovingly as mom to her children, she will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her, particularly her daughter, Connie Schnapf and her husband, Joe, of Newburgh; sons, Terry Crane of Evansville, and Allan Crane and his wife, Anne, of Charleston, South Carolina; a brother, Herman Kreipke of Indianapolis; grandchildren, Holly End and her husband, Christian, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Marty Schnapf of Portland, Oregon; one great-grandchild, Zachery End; two step-grandchildren, Jonathan Tennant of Brunswick, Georgia, and Lisa Lamb of Charleston, South Carolina; as well as four great-step-grandchildren, Matthew, Emily, Virginia Anne and Whitmarsh.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Thomas M. Crane, in 2000; a son, Patrick Crane; and her parents, Herman K. and Louise (Wolfe) Kreipke.

Services 9:30 a.m. Thursday, July 26, at Ziemer Funeral Home Central Chapel, 626 First Avenue, and continued at 10 a.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, with Father Joseph Ziliak officiating. Visitation will be on Wednesday, July 25, from 5 to 7 p.m., with a memorial service at 7 p.m., at the funeral home. Entombment will be in St. Joseph Mausoleum.

Memorial contributions can be made to Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 2701 West Franklin Street, Evansville, Indiana 47710; American Lung Association, 9410 Priority Way, Indianapolis, IN 46240-1470; or the Vanderburgh Humane Society, P.O. Box 6711, Evansville, IN 47719-6711.

July 24, 2007

My deepest sympathy to your family. My Grandmother was in the same room with her at River Point (Mary Cassidy). She was a wonderful, funny woman.

Lisa Dauby (Tell City, IN)