10/3/30 - 4/2/2020

John S. Crookham Jr, passed away peacefully at home in the loving arms of his wife Ramona.

John was born in Glenwood, Iowa to the late John Crookham,Sr. and Fayetta Crookham and graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School. He attended Coe College, eventually earning a Masters degree from Omaha University.

He served his country for two years in the Army, serving in Trieste, Italy. In 1951, he married the love of his life, Ramona Canon, and they stayed best friends, husband and wife for the next 68 years.

After college John started teaching and coaching, with stops at Paullina,IA; Adair,IA; 4 years at Abraham Lincoln, and then Omaha Technical High School. He was an assistant football and head track coach at Tech, winning several State Championships during his tenure. When Tech closed, John spent three years as assistant principal at Norris Junior High until retirement.

John always had a zest for life and enjoyed water skiing, snow skiing in Utah, canoeing with Ramona in the Boundary Waters, and playing golf, a game he called ,”Swing ,Swear, and Walk”. John loved spending time with family at the family cabin near Ely, Minnesota, and weekends at the farm in the Waubonsie Hills South of Glenwood. He always had a great sense of humor and a story to tell ,and enjoyed having morning coffee with the “good ole boys” at the Lake Manawa Fish & Game Club. John was dedicated to two families, those to whom he was related, and his Tech family, those teachers, coaches, faculty members and especially student athletes who kept in touch with him throughout his life.

John is preceded in death by his niece, Sarah Crookham and sister in law Diana Lea Somers.

John is survived by his loving wife, Ramona, sister Francis Walter of Omaha and her children, John (Barb) Walter, Tim (Alma) Walter, Nancy (Rick) Eastman, Lynne (Bill) Evans and Teresa Walter, brother Joel (Lynn) Crookham of Thunder Bay, Ontario and their children Jason (Viet) Crookham, Zach (Katie) Crookham, and Hannah (Dave) Armstrong, nephew Bill (Colleen) Somers and their children Jake, Zach and Nick, several great nieces and great nephews.

Due to the pandemic, a Celebration of Life Service for John will be held at a later date.