Katherine Crane

Katherine was born in Memphis, Tennessee, September 23, 1931, to the late Roy H. Brademeyer and Ethel Langston Brademeyer. She is preceded in death by her brother James H. Brademeyer and sisters Edna B. Whitten and Elaine B. McAdams.

On April 27, 1951, at Hollywood Baptist Church, she married her high school sweetheart, the late Sidney Earl Crane. Their marriage would be one to last 69 years.

Katherine was a 1949 graduate of Tech High School and a proud Yellow Jacket majorette. She maintained many of those school friendships throughout her life and was always happy to help plan the reunions and gatherings of her classmates. After graduating from high school, she attended secretarial school, which led her to a promotion from salesclerk at Goldsmith’s to a secretarial position in the corporate office. This began her 60 plus years’ career path in secretarial/bookkeeping/office management fields. She enjoyed her time spent working at Stratton-Warren Hardware Company. She often said it prepared her for her favorite job. In 1980 she began working at Sotkin & Associates as an office manager, where she managed 3 companies and did a little of everything. At the age of 70, she retired as Vice-President of Sotkin & Associates. Steve Sotkin referred to her as “advisor, friend, family member and over-all boss of us all.”

Katherine was a member of Bartlett Baptist Church for over 40 years. Her family, faith and friends were what was important to her.

Katherine was an accomplished seamstress and enjoyed many types of needle work. Her other hobbies were gardening, floral arranging, and the art of bonsai. She also was a formidable card player, and her win column far surpassed her losses. Her personality brought joy to everyone she encountered, and her passing will be mourned deeply by everyone who knew her. Her memory will remain in the hearts of all who loved her.

Katherine leaves behind a beloved brother-in-law and sister-in-law, cousins and a multitude of nieces and nephews, great and great-great ones as well.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude Hospital or a charity of your choice.

A favorite scripture of Katherine’s was Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” and she did.

A graveside service for Katherine will be held Tuesday, April 1, 2025 from 2:00 PM to 2:30 PM at Memphis Memory Gardens, 6444 Raleigh Lagrange Rd, Memphis, TN 38134.