Mary Catherine (Crabb) Kerr

This is a notification of the Celebration of Life Service for Mary Catherine Crabb Kerr on July 9, 2022, at Crossroads United Methodist Church in Washington, IL. Mary, 78, passed away on Sunday, September 19, 2021 at the OSF Richard L. Owens Hospice Home in Peoria, IL. 

She was born on October 31, 1942, in Macomb, IL, to Carle R. Jr. and Martha (Lewis) Crabb. She married Richard A. Kerr on August 20, 1966 in Macomb. 

She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Richard Kerr of Washington; her two sons, Andrew (Rachel) Kerr of Macomb, Illinois, and Mark (“Monica” Hyun-Jyong Lee) of Almaty, Kazakhstan; five grandchildren, Catherine of Lawrence, Kansas, Elizabeth of Washington, Illinois, Julius of Miami, Florida, and Máiri-Lee and Jaek-Lee of Almaty, Kazakhstan; three brothers, John R. Crabb, David T. Crabb Sr., and Merle L. Crabb; one sister, Lida Jane Reeder; and also numerous nieces and nephews, and great-nieces and great-nephews that she loved and cherished, as well. Two brothers, Carle R. Crabb III and Daniel P. Crabb preceded her in death. 

She was a graduate of the Western Illinois University Laboratory School (K-12), and Western Illinois University with a BS in Education. She also graduated from Bradley University with an MS in Education Administration and Illinois State University with a Reading Specialist Certification. She loved teaching youngsters to read, explore, and grow. She is the author of Washington’s Homefront and POWs (an Illinois Historical Award winner), WWII Camp Elis: Homefronts and POWs, and co-authored Mary Lincoln’s Journey with her granddaughter, Catherine Kerr. 

A celebration of life service will be held July 9, 2022 at Crossroads United Methodist Church in Washington, Illinois. A visitation will be from 1:00-2:00pm, and memorial service at 2:00pm. This will be followed by a reception, that will include cake made from the recipe in her book, Mary Lincoln’s Journey provided by her friends at the Washington Historical Society. In the spirit of summer garden parties that Mary loved, please dress as would be appropriate - vibrant colors are welcome as we celebrate her amazing life. While masks are optional, we would encourage people to use their best judgment in attending if feeling sick or having been exposed to anyone with COVID-19. 

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