Irene Matilda JOHNSON

1912 - 2012  (99 years)

• Name	Irene Matilda JOHNSON  [1]
  	Irene M. Crapo, 99, of Watertown, South Dakota, passed away Tuesday, January 24, 2012 in Watertown. Funeral services will be 1:00 p.m., Friday, January 27, 2012 at First United Methodist Church in Watertown with Reverend Joel Higgins officiating and Karen Mee as organist. Interment will be at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Watertown. Visitation will be Thursday from 5-7:00 p.m. at Wight, Comes & Sogn Funeral Chapel in Watertown. Pallbearers will be Greg Anderson, Charlie Hanson, Ronald Moore, Paul Moore, David Hanson and Kenny Miller Irene Matilda Crapo was born March 28, 1912 to Charles Frans and Annie Elizabeth (Peterson) Johnson in Bemis, South Dakota. She went to 8 grades of school at Prairie Dell Country School at Bemis. She married Orval Bert Moore July 21, 1931 at Bemis and the couple had nine children. They divorced in 1948 and she later married Wendell Richard Crapo on September 26, 1952 at Edgemont, South Dakota and two sons were born to this union. She began working at Fox Deluxe at Watertown in 1955 where she worked for five years picking turkeys. In 1960 she went to work for Elco Motel cleaning rooms and doing laundry until she retired in 1975. Irene learned to play the organ by ear when she was very young and played her organ in nursing homes in Clark, Clear Lake, Bryant and Jenkins in Watertown. She also played in Perry and Des Moines, Iowa and continued playing even after her retirement and received many certificates for her entertainment. Irene painted, cleaned, wall papered every house they lived in and even hung sheet rock. She washed clothes on the wash board for 8 children for many years. She raised chickens, grew flowers, gardened and canned many jars of food every year. She planted trees and cared for 11 lots for numerous years. She never drove a vehicle so her children and friends would take her where she wanted to go. Irene made various quilts and doilies and gave them to many people. Irene did a multitude of things, worked hard and gave much of herself, her greatest love and joy was her children, family, friends and home. She entered Jenkins Living Center on October 14, 1999 for a short time and on August 24, 2001 she became a permanent resident at the age of 89. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Wendell on August 28, 1976; three sons, Paul James Moore in 1937, Junior Wendell Crapo in 1959 and William Paul Moore in 2008; two grandsons; one granddaughter; two great grandsons; and her ex-husband, Orval on April 2, 1990. Irene is survived by her six sons, Donald Moore of Palmview, TX, Orvie (Edith) Moore of Perry, IA, James (friend, Sue Martin, Sioux Falls, SD) Moore of Watertown, SD, Joe (Deborah) Moore of Rosanky, TX and Richard Crapo of Yankton, SD; three daughters, Rose Lederman and Carol Caux both of Watertown, SD and Ruth Kuhnau of Seattle, WA; one brother, Karl Johnson of Watertown, SD; two sisters, Mary Pock of Watertown, SD and Viola Carter of Castlewood, SD; 47 grandchildren; 93 great grandchildren; and 50 great-great grandchildren. [1]
  Birth	28 Mar 1912	Bemis, Deuel Co., South Dakota   [1]
  Gender	Female
  Death	24 Jan 2012	Watertown, Codington Co., South Dakota   [1]
  Burial	Mount Hope Cemetery, Watertown, Codington Co., South Dakota   [1]
  Person ID	I79661	Main Tree
  Last Modified	29 Oct 2015

  
  

  Family	Wendell R. CRAPO,   b. 17 Mar 1916, Michigan d. 28 Aug 1976, South Dakota (Age 60 years)
  Marriage	26 Sep 1952	Edgemont, South Dakota   [1]
  Family ID	F32066	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	29 Oct 2015

  
  

• Event Map

  Marriage - 26 Sep 1952 - Edgemont, South Dakota Burial - - Mount Hope Cemetery, Watertown, Codington Co., South Dakota  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Sources

  [S02329] Find A Grave Website.