Margaret “Peg” Crannell, 57, of Tekamah, died Friday, Nov. 30, 2007, following a brief illness.

Visitation is planned for 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4, with a prayer service at 7 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Tekamah. A memorial funeral Mass is slated for 2 p.m. Wednesday Dec. 5, at the church.

Margaret Ament was born June 4, 1950, in Storm Lake, Iowa, to Richard and Evelyn (Wagner) Ament. She grew up in Fremont and Oakland, graduating from Oakland High School in 1968.

She attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln during the 1968-1969 school year. On Sept. 1, 1969, she married Jon Crannell in Lyons.

After spending a number of years at home with her children, she graduated with honors from Dana College in 1989, where she was president of the Non-traditional Students Club and named “Student Teacher of the Year” by the Nebraska Council of Teachers of English. She completed her master’s of art degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

Mrs. Crannell was employed as a Spanish teacher at Blair High School for 15 years. Prior to teaching Blair, she taught English for three years at Elkhorn High School. While in Blair, she served as the cheerleading sponsor, Fire Arts and Foreign Language Department chair. Foreign Language Club advisor, mentor for first-and-second-year teachers, and coordinated and led trips for the foreign language students to Spain, France and Costa Rica. She served on the North Central Accreditation Committee.

She enjoyed her family, grandchildren, students, and raising Welsh ponies. She was an avid book reader, cook, family host and M&Ms connoisseur (as any Spanish student knows). She loved being with her grandchildren, taking them on adventures and telling them stories. They called her “The Best Grandma Ever.”

She is survived by her husband of 38 years, Jon; three daughters and their families, Kelli Crannell Paulson of Tekamah, Jodi and Brandt Hansen of Herman, and Sarah and Eric Wrede of Rogers, Ark.; eight grandchildren; parents Richard Ament and Evelyn Ament; parents-in-law, Gordon and Ellen Crannell; siblings and their spouses, Pat and Dennis Hutsell, Pam and Joe Coughlin, Polly and Walter Bahns, Mike Ament, and Dorothy and Rick Schmidt; brother-in-law and spouse, Gordon “Butch” and Donna Crannell; sister-in-law, Beverly Crannell; and many nieces and nephews.

Memorials are suggested to the Tekamah Public Library.

~~~Obituary courtesy of the Nebraska Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings and leaflets on file in the Public Library, Blair, Nebraska ~~~

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