CROOKS, Joan

The Daily Courier, Prescott, Arizona, Friday, November 06, 2015 Joan Crooks, 80, died peacefully Oct. 28, 2015 in Reno, Nevada, following a stroke. She is survived by her husband, David Crooks of Prescott Arizona; her mother Edith Kingdon of Chico, California; her son Guy Lane Sr. of Fernley, Nevada; her daughter Claudia Lane of Winston Salem, North Carolina; and her sisters, Lorna Kingdon of Chico, California and Marilee Cardaras of Hanford, California. She was preceded in death by her first husband, Frederick Lane of Wadsworth, Ohio; and her brother Melvin Warner of DeKalb, Illinois. Joan was born in Oakland, California, in 1935 and was graduated from Washington State University. With her family, she moved to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where she met and married her first husband. They raised the children there and in Wilmington, Delaware. In addition to her roles as wife and mother, she loved performing in amateur theatre productions and was often acclaimed by local critics. She and David Crooks were married in Wilmington, Delaware on Jan. 3, 1998, and came to Prescott, Arizona. In both Wilmington and Prescott, Joan attended Al-Anon meetings until she experienced the onset of Alzheimer's dementia about five years ago. She lived near her son in a memory care center in Fernley, Nevada for the past seven months. Joan loved nearly all symphonic music, ballet, jazz, and visual arts. She regularly attended and supported the Yavapai Symphony Association, and she attended Phoenix Symphony concerts faithfully in Prescott, as well as many jazz and smaller concerts here. Joan was well loved for her cooking, her sense of humor and her appreciation of the arts. A celebration of Joan's life is planned for 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015, in the Safe Harbor Hall, 520 W. Delano St. in Prescott. Information provided by survivors.