Mary Duffy Crank

Mary Duffy Crank passed away in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, on August 25, 2024. She was born on July 25, 1951, in Holland, Michigan, the fifth of eight children. She was preceded in death by her parents Vincent and Lorraine Duffy, husband Douglas Crank, sister Patricia Duffy, and brothers Patrick, Michael, and Edward Duffy. She is survived by her daughter Sara Duffy Woodward, son-in-law James Griffioen, grandchildren Penelope and Gram Griffioen; niece Hayley Duffy Lee (Jacob); sisters Barbara Taylor, Lorraine Duffy Castle (Thomas), and Elizabeth Duffy Luini; sisters-in-law Daniela and Christine Duffy; and 16 additional nieces and nephews.

Although Mary chose to spend her last five years near her grandchildren in Detroit, Holland was her true home. She attended St. Francis De Sales elementary school, Holland High School, and Aquinas College. She was the first in her family to graduate from college, earning a bachelor’s degree and later a master’s. After college, she taught high school English in Oklahoma and Pennsylvania before returning to western Michigan to raise her young daughter. Back in Holland, she found her professional home: teaching geography and social studies at West Ottawa Middle School. She loved her students and her coworkers, and she was very proud to be a public-school teacher.

Anyone who knew Mary understood that she was happiest with a book in her hands. She was a fierce and avid reader as a child; she once broke a finger trying to ride a bike and read a book at the same time, ending in a predictable crash. But as a teacher at West Ottawa, she took to geography with the passion and curiosity she’d always brought to her beloved novels. Her students will remember the tapestry of world cultures and the relationships between people that she wove for them every day in class. She loved traveling the globe to gain greater perspective for the classroom, even traveling as far as Kazakhstan as part of a teachers’ exchange.

In 1986, she married the love of her life: Douglas Crank. Doug was a deeply devoted husband to Mary and a wonderful stepfather to Sara, showing his patience and love for them by driving to distant gymnastics meets, preparing elaborate and delicious meals, and joining Mary on her many travels to Ireland, China, and Austria. After 21 years of marriage, Doug was diagnosed with leukemia. Mary devoted herself to his care, and he spent 10 months in and out of the hospital before passing away in October 2007.

Mary never recovered from this loss. A decade later, she began to show signs of dementia. Over the years, she lost her ability to care for herself but never the core parts of her personality. She did not go gently into that good night; she was feisty and stubborn and frequently frustrated by her lack of independence and angry at the injustice of her memory loss. But she also retained her love of her family and delight at seeing them whenever they visited. Penelope, her teenage granddaughter, checked in on her daily after school, and Mary was always thrilled to see her. While she may have lost much of herself in her final years, she never lost the understanding of who she loved and who would always love her back.

Mary’s defining trait was caring for others. Although she only gave birth to one child, she was a mother to so many: her students, her daughter’s friends, and her beloved nieces and nephews. But she wasn’t just a devoted mother; she was also a devoted daughter. When her father passed away and her own mother was suddenly alone, Mary cared for her. When her mother’s memory began to fail, Mary saw her every day. She cherished her role as caregiver for her mother.

Although the last few years of Mary’s own life were difficult, for the first time in her adult life, Mary was cared for by other people. Sara and Hayley will be forever grateful that they had the chance to care for Mary, to ease her pain, and to comfort her, as she had cared for and comforted them as children.

A funeral service will be held at 2:00 pm on Monday, November 25, 2024 at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, 171 W. 13th Street in Holland.