Marcella Theresa Croissant

I loved how Aunt Marcy sent me cards and notes on special occasions. And I remember when our families would celebrate Thanksgiving and reunions together, Aunt Marcy was quiet but quick with a laugh at our boisterous families' antics. For a time at the end of her life, her Mother, my Grandmother, lived with Aunt Marcie and Uncle Elroy. They took great care of our most beloved Matriarch. After Grandma passed, Aunt Marcie sent me a letter I had written to Grandma. This gracious, thoughtful and loving act defines her in my memory, forever. With love, niece Margaret Milstein (her sister Mary Ann's youngest). 💖

Aunt Marcy Crase Croissant Aunt Marcy, like her mom, was generous in sharing stories and poems that shined a spotlight on the goodness in persons. Aunt Marcy was quiet in person, but her letters were alive with warmth and good humor. Among her writings, she wrote endearingly of Great-grandma Annie Vogel Meyers and their kindred appreciation for the simple pleasures in nature and in life that abound in giving us blessings. Aunt Marcy and I graduated from Central University High School decades apart. When Central’s mighty walls were torn down, and I lived a thousand miles away, she blessed me with dear mementos of our alma mater. As quiet as Aunt Marcy was, memories of our many extended family gatherings are punctuated with her darling laugh. Good-natured humor never escaped her heart. One of the greatest gifts Aunt Marcy gave was when she and UncleElroy opened their doors wide and welcomed our beloved Grandma Frances Meyer Crase into their home. None of us would have wanted our beloved, but now frail grandma to go to a nursing home. I will always be eternally grateful in particular to Aunt Marcy for caring so tenderly for our Grandma Frances the many last months of her life. Aunt Marcy, as we your kin on earth remember you and the warp and woof of your life, may your loved-ones in heaven embrace you in the sweet light of love.

Dear Sweet Croissant Cousins, with heartfelt affection, we bless our mom's sister, our Aunt Marcy, as she soars on Angels' wings in Light and Love.

To my sweet, quiet, yet strong, Aunt Marcy - I want to thank you, for giving me 9 of the cutest, sweetest cousins I could ever ask for: Tom, Rick, Tara, Rita, Lora, Linda, Jeannie, Janet & Bernadette! No one gets to decide how we enter this world, yet here we are... "Family" Dear Cousins: I am fairly certain that the two sisters, your mom, Aunt Marcy and my mom, Mary Ann, were in a secret contest to see "who could produce the most children". Uncle Dick and Aunt Mary were so much younger, they were lucky to produce the beautiful perfect 5 children they had (Tim, Mary Jo, John, Joan & David 💝 whom I am also so grateful for.) so they were not in the contest. My Mom got a head start with Paul and not long after Aunt Marcy had Tommy. It continued on, year after year with the two producing babies almost every year for over 10 years! They were like the Dueling Banjos! Dr. John Sprague delivered a record number of babies between 1948 and 1960. We saw him so often that some of us called him, 'Daddy" by mistake. Much to the chagrin of the fiesty, red-headed, competitive Mary Ann, your Mom won, with a total of nine children, beating Mary Ann's eight, having sweet Bernadette as her Grand Finale taking the "Gold Medal" for First Place in making babies from the Crase family genes! 🎉 So cheers to Aunt Marcy and to Mary Ann and to Aunt Mary for producing a total of 22 children from 3 Crases! And they couldn't have done it without our Dads - Steve, Elroy and Dick, so cheers to them as well because I wouldn't want any One of YOU incredible "crazy cousins" missing from our clan. 💝💝💟. What I really find amazing is to look at our Mom's as young girls and see that so many of us looked just like our cute moms when we were little. And, we have been blessed with so many beautiful children and grandchildren. You are each unique and beautiful. Love to you and all your families and love to your sweet mother, aunt, grandmother, and great grandmother. (How could those hairstyles stay the same for so many years!!?) Even though your Mom won, I know my Mom didn't harbor any grudges and loved her sister for all the days of their lives. And she loved each of you even more. Hopefully in Heaven, they haven't created a "new contest" between them. My son, Matthew said, yeah, maybe now that they are both in Heaven, they have a contest to see who got away with the most on earth and still made it in through the Pearly Gates! 😂. (Only Matthew would think of that!) I am so thankful for the family gatherings we had with 11 Croissants, 10 Raynohas & 7 Crases! 28 plus Grandpa and Grandma made 30 family members! What a hullabaloo! Remember scrambling together at Grandma's at the long double tables in the basement, then at the side bar (usually us little kids - Marge, me, Lora, Rita, & Tim. Upstairs in the kitchen held more kids at the breakfast nook. I loved the big crowd and being anonymous. It was like I was "invisible" but I was still in the thick of all the excitement. I'm pretty sure it meant I could get away with anything. 😉. I think that is why I love big family gatherings even today! The more the merrier! One thing I learned from going to Aunt Marcy's house when I was little: Either Grandma Frances or Aunt Marcy had a great way of cleaning the entire house with 9 children! She took a broom and began in the corner of the main room and began sweeping and sweeping and sweeping until everything was piled into the center of the room - a few unmatched socks, single shoes, dolls, trucks, scarves, mittens, food, wrappers, a couple homework assignments, a hamster... And once in the center, each item was picked up and placed in its proper category: shoes with shoes, clothes, toys, etc. The dirt was picked up and dumped in the trash and Voila! The house was clean! I thought it was a brilliant way to let kids have fun but clean up afterwards. Later when I had kids, I let them spread their toys all over the room but I placed a giant bed sheet on the floor and at the end of the day, I picked up the four corners of the sheet and dragged the mess to another room and Voila! My family room was clean! (Thanks Aunt Marcy!) Love to our newest Angel in Heaven - Marcy! Clare (#7 on Mary Ann's Scorecard) 😉