Joan Mildred Kilmer Crandall Nygard

ONTONAGON, Mich. - Joan Mildred Kilmer Crandall Nygard, of Ontonagon, died peacefully in her sleep at her home on Feb. 14, 2016.

Born in Ontonagon on Jan. 22, 1946, just minutes after her twin sister, Jean Lockhart, Joan was one of five children born to Alfred Kilmer, a printer at the Ontonagon Herald newspaper, and Ida Kilmer, a homemaker and an employee at the Ontonagon County Courthouse. Joan attended the Ontonagon Area Schools, graduating high school in June of 1964. She then studied teaching at Northern Michigan University, where she met Lewis Raymond Crandall. They married in January of 1966 in Marquette and, shortly afterward, Lewis joined the U.S. Army. They lived in many places, including Newport News, Va., where her son, Leland, was born; Detroit, where her daughter, Jessica, was born; and Syracuse, N.Y., where they moved to be near Lew's family when he became sick with Hodgkin's disease. After Lew died, on Dec. 6, 1979, Joan's brothers, Dick and Bill, helped Joan and the children move home to Ontonagon, where she lived until her death.

On June 8, 1991, Joan married George William Nygard, formerly of Ewen, at the Siloa Lutheran Church. They had been introduced by their pastors. Joan's two children, Leland and Jessica, and George's two children, Tim and Amy, were the bridesmaids and groomsmen. George and Joan had a reception at George's mother's house, then went on their honeymoon, driving around Lake Superior. They spent 25 very happy years together, surrounded by family and friends.

Joan is survived by her husband, George; her children, Leland (Angie) Crandall, of Quinnesec, Jessica (Joris) Crandall, of New York City, Tim (Maria) Nygard, of Middleton, Wis., and Amy Nygard, of Surprise, Ariz .; her brother, William (Kathy) Kilmer; and sisters Carol (Vernon) Dalback, Jean Lockhart and Penny (Dan) Rellis; her grandchildren, Hannah Nygard and Anthony Crandall; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Preceding her in death were her first husband, Lewis Crandall; parents, Alfred and Ida Kilmer (Glaser); brother, Richard Kilmer; stepbrother, Freddie Glaser; stepfather, Fred Glaser; parents-in-law, Arthur and Anna May Crandall and A.B. and Bessie Brookins (Nygard); sister-in-law, Bonnie Watt; brother-in-law, Robert Watt; brother-in-law, Robert Crandall; and nephew, Steven Dalback.

For 27 years, Joan worked as the Ontonagon Village Clerk, a position she campaigned for and was elected to so many times that eventually the village just stopped holding elections. In her last few years as clerk, she was village treasurer, as well. She was in charge of collecting taxes, paying invoices, balancing the books and recording the meeting notes of all council and commission meetings. She retired in 2011.

Joan was an active member of the Siloa Lutheran Church, where she enjoyed helping with the weekly radio broadcasts and served on the church council, the parish board, and numerous committees.

She was a great lover of life. She had an infectious laugh, a quick wit and a fabulous sense of humor. She was smart, fun and kind. She liked kayaking with family members in the waterways around Ontonagon. She was a good bowler.

She enjoyed going to new places and wandering through local shops. She was always buying presents for other people, but rarely for herself. She loved animals, and she spent countless hours watching the birds and squirrels and the occasional bunny that came through her front yard. She loved walking on the beach and photographing eagles. She spent many sunny afternoons picking agates with George, usually on the beach at Union Bay. She was also very lucky, and enjoyed playing slot machines in the nearby casinos. She was never far from her twin sister, Jean.

Joan was devoted to her family, and was always up for a family gathering of any kind. She loved watching her grandchildren play sports, and spent many hours cheering in the stands at soccer and basketball games. She was also a champion of the artistic pursuits of those she loved. She liked traveling and took several trips to Paris. She celebrated the summer solstice in Sweden, where she even tried some of the pickled herring (although her grandfather was a fisherman, Joan was never a fan of fish!) She also saw much of the U.S. and parts of Canada. The summer before she died, she traveled to New York for her daughter's wedding.

Joan had a knack for finding those around her who needed a shoulder to lean on, or an ear to whisper into. Always concerned for others, she would go out of her way for those who needed help. She made friends everywhere she went. She was beloved as a mother, a wife, a sister, and a friend. She will be greatly missed.

Funeral services will take place Tuesday, Feb. 23, at 11 a.m. at Siloa Lutheran Church in Ontonagon. Friends may call at the church from 9 a.m. until the time of service. Spring burial will be in the Riverside Cemetery in Ontonagon.