A sweet, funny, classy woman was called to her eternal rest on Thursday, September 26, 2013. Marianne Crocker of 2200 Maine, Quincy, died peacefully at 5:40 p.m., fulfilling her own catchphrase, “I’m 92 and it’s time to say skidoo.”

Marianne was born in Quincy on August 28, 1921, the daughter of Lawrence and Anne Jurgensmeyer VonderHaar. A child of the Roaring 20s and the Great Depression, she had both a flair for glamour and a knack for squeezing a nickel. She graduated from Notre Dame High School in 1939 and worked at Block & Kuhl, Bell Telephone and Quincy Barge. She was employed as a telephone operator on Dec. 7, 1941, and later said the switchboard lit up like a Christmas tree when news broke of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

In 1944, Marianne and her sister Lorene (“Toots”) began one of their many adventures when they enlisted in the U.S. Navy WAVES. Following basic training at Hunter College in New York, they served together in Oklahoma and Chicago. Upon returning to Quincy, they enrolled at Quincy College under the G.I. Bill, graduating in 1949.

From 1948 to 1978, Marianne was married to Brandt Crocker and together they had four children. She was a skilled homemaker and an excellent cook who greeted her family with breakfast every morning and a home-cooked meal every night. Her baking skills were legendary, and she had a sweet tooth to match.

Once her children were all in school, Marianne returned to work on a part-time basis, tutoring home-bound students in the Quincy Public Schools. In 1966, she joined the staff of Project Head Start as a social worker, a position she held until retirement in 1989. She loved children and helped to create many positive experiences for them through her work at Head Start.

Throughout her life, she was affectionately known as “Sis” although in later years, she answered to Grandma, Granny Pants, Snicklefritz and Pumpkin. Sis and Toots were always up for hijinks and were famous for the gatherings and parties they hosted at Twenty Acres, their cottage outside La Belle, Mo. The sisters were both artistic and clever, and excelled at decorating, gardening and making special the ordinary.

A lifelong member of St. Francis Solanus Parish, Marianne was a member of the Secular Franciscans for more than 50 years. Along with other ladies of the parish, she was instrumental in reviving the St. Vincent de Paul Society as a food pantry for the less fortunate and to serve dinners after funerals held at the church. She was an active volunteer for many causes and truly lived the “servant” spirit of Christ.

Marianne is survived by four children: Gregg Crocker and wife Donna of Buffalo Grove, Ill., David Crocker and wife Judith Espinoza Naranjo of Coral Springs, Fla., Anne Crocker of Hirschhorn, Germany, and Lisa Crocker and partner Jim Moore of Springfield, Ill. Survivors include four granddaughters and one great-granddaughter: Alana Anderson, husband Dennis and their daughter Livia, Caitlin Anderson and fiance Fabian Zimmer, Elise Anderson, and Djinji LaBelle Crocker and husband Gonzalo Galeano; and three step-grandchildren: Sharon Harth and husband Ryan, Laura Karamitos and husband Peter, and Douglas Chelcun. She is also survived by her brother George “Buck” VonderHaar and numerous nieces and nephews.

Marianne was preceded in death by her parents, beloved sister Lorene, infant sister Marion, brothers Donald, Roy and Richard, son-in-law Fresno Anderson and nephew Daniel VonderHaar.

A funeral Mass will be held on Monday, Oct. 7, 2013, at 11:00 a.m. in St. Francis Solanus Catholic Church, 17th and College, Quincy. Interment will follow in Calvary Cemetery. Visitation will precede the funeral on Monday morning from 9:00 – 10:15 a.m. at Duker and Haugh Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the St. Vincent De Paul Food Pantry of St. Francis Parish or the Ladies of Charity.