Clara Alice (Wright) Crocker passed away on Saturday April 20th, 2024. She was born on September 24th, 1945, to Burchard Wright, Edith Phoebe (Pettit) Wright, at their home in Sterling, New York.

Clara was predeceased by both of her parents, Burchard and Edith, her brothers Richard Ray Wright, Arthur Frederick Wright, infant brother Delos Wright and sisters June Ann (Wright) Hall, Betty Elizabeth Wright and Dorothy Mary (Wright) Sutterby.

She is survived by her loving devoted husband Robert Winfield Crocker,  her brother Thomas Charles Wright,  her sister Jean Louise (Wright) Smith and Nan Nora (Wright) Powers; her son - Robert Burchard Crocker (Joseph Chan) of Bloomfield NJ,  her daughter - Jean Marie (Crocker) Brown of Fulton NY,  her son - James Edward Crocker of Sterling NY, her granddaughter Ashley Aleece (Brown) Beach (Richard Beach) of Oswego NY, favorite companion her cat Eddie and many nieces and nephews.

Clara was a cherished wife, a beloved mother, a highly praised daughter, an admired sister, favorite aunt and a dear grandmother.

Clara was known for being able to lighten anyone's mood with her quick wit and humor. When we discuss cherished memories of Clara, each of us had a humorous story of how she'd get up to a little bit of mischief due to her playful spirit and how she could make any day an April's Fool Day.

Here are three of our favorite Clara memories.

Known for choosing her words carefully, Mom would sometimes give answers that made you have to decode what the real answer was.

When she was asked what someone's name, instead of answering with the correct name Clara responded, "he'll answer to George". Also known for getting people to believe just about anything from getting people to believe that her husband's middle initial W stood for "Woodchuck" because of his mother Margaret's native American ancestry. Or believing that she had come up with a new plan to save on gasoline. Her plan was to put a car in neutral and allowing the earth to roll underneath its wheel so she could get to Rochester.

She leaves behind a legacy of delicious meals, vibrant gardens, and a love that embraced not only her immediate family, extended relatives and many friends as well. In fact, she at one time was taking care of gardens that feed four households including her own, her mother Edith's, her sister Dorothy's, and her mother-in-law Margaret's families. During those years, she witnessed her share of struggles. Yet, she never succumbed to hardship. Instead, she faced each challenge with quiet determination, her unwavering spirit was a source of strength for herself and those around her.

Mom's greatest gifts to her children, husband and family were her words. Words of praise for a job well done or effort in the attempt.  Words of gratitude for just you being you and for you being her child. Words of pride for education accomplishments, getting jobs, achieving promotions and sports wins. Words of encouragement to help you get through, get over or put life obstacles in perspective. Words of acceptance that let you know you'll always be her child not matter what. Words of appreciation that lets you see through her eyes, her ears, her nose, her hands-- sight of flowers or rainbows, sound of honeybees or a cat's meow, smell of an apple pie or a spring breeze after a rain, feel of a cotton sheet or holding the hands of a loved one. She formed instant friendships while playing softball but also spent a lot of time cheering others on. She and her husband played softball in Sterling Valley at the community softball field (empty field on north side of 104A heading towards Oswego) and at South Forty (former bar and restaurant on 104A).

Clara raised three children with her husband. It isn't by chance, that all three of us have volunteered for charities and the fact that two of us currently work for charities -- we followed in her footsteps. Clara worked as a volunteer for Oswego and Cayuga County chapters of the American Red Cross for over 7 years. During her time as a fundraising volunteer, Clara helped update and maintain a database of donors resulting in doubling the number of donations and dramatically increasing the total amount raised. Clara also nurtured a special connection with each one of us. Her son, Robert or Bobby, was instilled with a love for nature leading him to a build beautifully designed garden full of local indigenous flowering plants. Her daughter, Jean or Jeannie, was filled with a love for family resulting in her bringing her daughter, Ashley, into this world and expanding our family. Her son, James or Jimmy, was inspired to take care of others and went to help his mother take care of his grandmothers Edith and Margaret, his grandfather Win, his uncles Tom and Art, aunts, Dorothy, Nan, and Nancy, and his parents including Clara herself.

After her children were almost all grown, Mom acquired a new passion - playing golf at Griffin Greens (now Stone Creek Golf Club). As in all things, her above par performance didn't depend on luck, but instead upon meticulous practice and a fierce desire to excel by challenging herself. As a result, she finished in first place both with and without handicap in one of the club championships which is not an easy feat.

In her marriage, Clara was a pillar of strength and support to her husband. Knowing Mom could handle the home front and their children, Dad was able to tackle everything from ordinary days to those where he had to literally fight fires while working at Nestle's chocolate factory in Fulton, NY. As a team, they also enjoyed gardening, playing softball, went bowling and golfing. During their partnership, they a built as house into a home, raised three children, feed them home grown crops, canned and froze vegetables used for home cooked meals, created beautiful flower gardens, and welcomed many pets into their hearts.

In closing, the following were picked by Clara's family.

Endless Love

By Author Unknown

Thank you for your endless love.

That will help me through each day.

And thank you for the memories

that will never fade away.

You're the woman I loved

and I was proud to be your husband.

And everyday – in some small way –

I will celebrate your life.

As long as memories last,

you will stay in my heart.

Your loving husband.

A Poem for Mother

By Dick Underwood

Mother, you were just a girl,

So many years ago.

You had your loves and had your dreams,

You watched us come and go.

You watched us make the same mistakes,

That you had made before,

But that just made you hold us tight,

And love us all the more.

We haven't always thought about

The things that you have seen.

To us you've just been 'Mother',

No thought of who you've been.

But we remember now in love,

Your life from start to end,

And we're just glad we knew you,

As Mother, and as Friend.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to in her memory to a cause that reflects her lifelong love of nature send us a check made out to:

Friends of the Sterling Nature Center if you want to donate locally, ASPCA if you're a pet lover, or World Wildlife Fund, Wildlife Conservation Society or Defenders of Wildlife if you're a nature lover.

Private graveside service will be at the Springbrook Cemetery in Sterling, New York to be held at a later date. Arrangements are in care of the Keysor-Dain-Cullinan Funeral Home, Cato.

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