Tony Lee Crane

Tony was a lifelong resident of Columbia. He was born on March 23, 1958, to W. Thomas "Bub" Crane and Doris Ann (Gruber) Crane. He was married on July 20, 1985, to Linda Brady, who survives in the home. They had one son, Jason Davis, who preceded him in death.

Tony was a member of Nashville Baptist Church. He attended University Laboratory School until high school, where he attended Rock Bridge, graduating in 1976. He later attended Moberly Area Community College on a basketball scholarship.

As a child, Tony was a typical boy. He enjoyed fishing, playing Little League baseball, softball, and basketball. Tony and his brother, Keith, could usually be found wrestling, which normally turned into a fight. When he wasn't roughhousing with Keith, he was picking on his little sister, Dana, mercilessly.

As a teen, Tony enjoyed hauling hay in the summer with his friends. He had a passion for basketball, in which he excelled. He was referred to as "Unstoppable" and "Magician Crane" by reporters. He was named All District, All Conference, All State, and led the North Central Missouri Conference in scoring average his senior year of high school. He was the first ever Bruin to score over 1,000 career points, and held a longstanding record at Rock Bridge for most individual points in one game.

Tony met the love of his life, Linda, through mutual friends. Together, they raised a son and enjoyed attending concerts, spending time with family and friends, and going to Linda's family farm. It was there that Linda's father taught Tony to hunt, instilling his love of bow-hunting.

Tony planned his schedule around hunting. If he wasn't hunting, he was either fishing or working alongside his dad. Together, they owned and operated Crane's Construction until Tony fully took over in the early 90s. Tony's son, Jason, worked alongside Tony for years. Tony taught Jason the value of hard, honest work.

In his later years, Tony and Linda were blessed with a grandson, Blake. Blake was the light of Tony's life. He enjoyed every second he got to spend with Blake, and looked forward to their weekends together.

Besides his wife, he is survived by: his grandson, Blake Austin Davis; Mother, Doris Crane; Brother, Keith (Deanna) Crane; Sister, Dana (Mark) Crane-Perry; Mother-in-Law, Barbara Brady; Brothers-in-Law, Mark Brady, Pat (Jayna) Brady, Greg (Pamela) Brady, and Julius Brady; Sister-in-Law, Sandra (Larry) Schlotzhauer; and numerous nieces, nephews, and friends.

Join the Crane family for a visitation from 1-3 p.m. on Thursday, September 12, 2024, at Memorial Funeral Home, located at 1217 Business Loop 70 W, Columbia, Missouri, followed by a memorial service at 3 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Mizzou Alumni Association Linda Crane Excellence in Service Scholarship (mizzou.us/LindaCraneScholarship), in memory of Tony Crane.