Carolyn Cranor

Carolyn (Cal) Cranor, of Roanoke, Va., was born on July 7, 1927, in Providence, R.I. She flourished in a doting family which included two sets of Swedish grandparents; big sister, Bev; and a special "police" dog named Wag. She inherited her family's non-stop sense of humor, love of yogurt (coffee was Cal's favorite), diligent work ethic, and unfailingly friendly attitude. She loved the movies throughout her life, and fondly remembered having to sneak to see Gone With the Wind because of its thencontroversial scenes. Cal was very busy with four children born in five years during the fifties, but still made lifelong friends during that time by teaching English to several international families. She raised her family with an even temper and a sense of humor. Cal worked continuously, past retirement, because independence and helping others was so important to her. Cal always looked on the positive side and saw the best in all people, even when we couldn't see it ourselves. Cal passed away on Friday, June 25, 2010, and is preceded in death by her grandparents, John and Maria Burgess and Emil and Anna Benson; her parents, Edward and Alva Benson; her best friend Dale Burton; her grandson, Ben Nye; and her dog, Wag. She is survived by her sister, Bev Leoni; sister of the heart, Sophie Allen; sons, Dan and Bill Cranor; daughters, Phoebe DeMuth and Tess Anderson; daughters-in-law, Liz and Courtney Cranor; grandsons, Ben Cranor and Michael Nye; granddaughters, Brady Schuster, Dana Jonas, Marjorie Nye, Aleks Schmidt, Lisette and Josie Cranor; cousins, Meredith Proffit and Sandra Benson; and numerous other special family members and friends. We are all lucky to have had her in our lives. A service in Cal's memory will be held 1 p.m. on Thursday, July 1, 2010, at St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Daleville, Va. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Cal's favorite charity, the Rescue Mission Ministries.