Claire B. Thomen Crook

Claire B. Thomen Crook

Claire B. Thomen Crook passed away March 25, 2011. Claire was born September 26, 1910 in Basel, Switzerland to Wilhelm and Bertha Thommen. She joined an older sister, Lina Luise. When the family immigrated to this country in 1913 their name was changed to Thomen. Claire was two and her sister was six. They spoke Swiss-German. They arrived at Ellis Island in the early spring of that year and then crossed country to Oregon by train.
Claire's father took a job at a dairy farm in Parkrose, OR, a suburb of Portland. Their Post Office box was number 13! They joined Wilhelm's brother, Julius, and Bertha's sister and her husband, Luisa and Karl Schweitzer, in the area. Claire started school in Parkrose. About 1917, they moved to St. Helens, OR where they began their own dairy farm, raising and milking cows, delivering milk on a route, and all that goes into running a dairy farm. Claire and her sister attended St. Helens public schools, walking a good four miles each way from the farm to town. Claire had the terrible flu in 1918.
After graduation from St. Helens High School in 1929, she attended the University of Oregon for one year and then transferred to Oregon Normal School in Monmouth to finish and get her teaching certificate. It was the depression, and schools were not hiring women teachers, giving jobs to the men. She was a nanny for a local family for one year, helped her sister take care of her only niece during the summers, helped her parents by with the bookkeeping and helping her mother in the kitchen. They fed many hired hands. She finally secured a teaching position in a very small two room school outside of St. Helens riding with another teacher. She taught the first four grades in Deer Island. When she lost her ride purchasing a car and learning to drive was essential. An advertisement was read in the local paper offering to sell a car. The person selling came to the farm with the car, took her for a ride, and taught her to drive. She ended up marrying the seller, and George Crook ended getting his car back! They were married in 1942. With gas a shortage because of the war, Claire's father gave them gas coupons so they could travel from St. Helen's to Mississippi for their honeymoon. That was George's home state. He had come to Oregon to work for Pope and Talbot as a saw filer. Upon returning, Claire began school in Holton with first and second graders.
In 1947, the Crooks relocated to Oakridge, OR where George became head saw filer at the new Pope and Talbot mill and Claire started her long teaching career there. In 1962 she finished the last two years of her degree from the U of Oregon so she could move up on the pay scale. She retired in 1975. During those years, she was active in the Garden Club, Eugene Arranger's Guild, and the Methodist Church. The Crook's traveled a lot after retirement, making two trips to Switzerland on tours, and Claire traveled there with her sister in July of 1995.
George passed away in early 1995. In 2000 Claire moved to Lynnwood, WA to live with her niece and be close to family. In 2006 she moved to Emeritus of Lynnwood, where she was residing at the time of her death.
Claire leaves her niece, Nancy Smith-Berard, of Lynnwood; great-niece, Lori Wist, of Everett; great-nephews, Jeff Smith, of Marysville, WA, Greg Smith, of Lake Stevens, WA, also Steve and Todd Beal of Oregon; several great-greats, Jennifer Smith, Kimberly Claire Smith, Zach Wist, Jake Wist, Daniel and David Beal, Jack and Grace Beal.
The family wishes to thank Hospice of Snohomish County, and all the staff at Emeritus of Lynnwood. Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Foundation or to Hospice of Snohomish County.
Memorial Services to be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, April 2 at Beck's Funeral Home in Edmonds.