Gary Crane

Gary M. Crane, 82, of Rantoul went to be with the Lord on Monday evening (Sept. 30, 2024) at home, surrounded by family.

He was born March 4, 1942, in Champaign, a son of Maurice and Hannah (Flesner) Crane. He married Marsa Sutton on Nov. 3, 1962, in Bloomington. She survives.

Also surviving are three daughters, Simi (Steve) Carlson of Virginia Beach, Va., Erin (Daren) Bergeron of Danville and Molly (Murray) Clifton of Rantoul; two brothers, Dwight (Marianne) Crane of Rantoul and Dale (Becky) Crane of Urbana; 13 grandchildren, Megan (Peter) Buck of Virginia Beach, Jake Carlson of Virginia Beach, Matt Carlson of Virginia Beach, Ben (Sarah) Carlson of Virginia Beach, Anna (David) Denault of Roberts, Austin Bergeron of San Francisco, Evan Bergeron of Danville, Maggie (Marcus) Bowen of Ludlow, Sophie Ramme of Rantoul, Ellie Bergeron of Danville, Kaleb (Lindsey) Clifton of Plainfield, Logan (Taylor) Clifton of Lockport and Hunter (Ryan) Birch of Urbana; and eight great-grandchildren, Sam, Will, Charlie, Owen, Judah, Lucy, Sage and Beau.

He was preceded in death by a sister, Sandy, and a brother, Dennis.

Gary was a member of the “Great Class of 1960” of Rantoul Township High School. He received his bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University. He worked for Sears with 10 years in management. He farmed for many years with his family. He was then a regional management consultant for Century 21 of central Illinois, then a broker/owner of Crane Real Estate and also a certified general appraiser and founding member of the appraisal section of the National Association of Realtors. During that time, he was also a multi-township assessor. He was a Ludlow Township clerk, a Rantoul Rotary Paul Harris Fellow, secretary of the Maplewood Cemetery Board, a member of the Rantoul Township High School Board of Education and a 50-year member of the Farm Bureau and was a Republican Precinct Committeeman. He was on the Champaign County Board of Realtors since 1975.

Gary was a founding member of Christian Life Church, where he faithfully taught Sunday school for over 30 years and served in multiple ministries within the church. His volunteerism for the Rantoul community included reading to children in the Head Start program and mentoring several young men through the schools and church. Gary’s love for his family was surpassed only by his love for the Lord!

A celebration of life will be at 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon at Christian Life Church, 300 N. Maplewood Drive, Rantoul. There will be a time to pay respects to the family from 3 to 4 p.m. Lux Memorial Chapel, Rantoul, is handling the arrangements.