Janet Wemmer Crawford

On August 19, 2024, Janet Louise Wemmer Crawford, loving wife, mother and grandmother, passed away at the age of 81. Born February 13, 1943, in Lima, Ohio, Janet was the daughter of Evelyn Louise Price and Eugene Deisel Wemmer. The Deisel and Wemmer families, who emigrated from Esslingen, Germany, manufactured and sold cigars in several towns throughout Ohio.

Janet left Lima in ninth grade to attend Ferry Hall in Lake Forest, IL. She fell in love with Chicago, so much so, she successfully convinced both her children to attend university there. After one year at University of Cincinnati, she transferred to Ohio Northern University in Ada, OH. The switch was fortuitous. At ONU, Janet met her husband-to-be Arthur Crawford.

Janet graduated from ONU in 1966 with a degree in German. Art graduated the same year and the young couple was briefly separated as Janet moved to New York city to attend the Katharine Gibbs School at the Barbizon Hotel for Women. She wore white gloves and a stylish hat as she walked from her apartment on 63rd and Lexington to classes at the Pan Am building.

After a year in New York, NY, Janet moved to Arlington, VA to be closer to Art. He proposed to Janet at the Washington Monument, and within a year they were married. Keeping with tradition, Janet’s family hosted the festivities in Lima, OH. Janet and Art wed on August 10, 1968 at Trinity United Methodist Church. Their marriage lasted 56 years.

Janet was deeply committed to her family, especially the children. She taught family values and reinforced them through church. Table manners were important; thank you letters, paramount. She encouraged new activities from sports to music to art. Family trips abroad created many wonderful and lasting memories. She adored her grandchildren and grand-pups.

Janet made friends easily. Friend groups sprung from her involvement in The Sulgrave Club, The Washington Antique Show, Aldersgate Methodist Church, St. Albans, National Cathedral School, White House Friends, Choral Arts Society, Cancer Research Foundation of America, Washington National Cathedral, and Advisory Board of Lake Forest Academy. Janet was frequently the “glue” that kept friend groups close.

When she wasn’t with family or friends, Janet enjoyed quiet moments doing needle art including embroidery, needlepoint and cross-stitch. Her love of family translated into ancestry research. She enjoyed jigsaw puzzles and card games from bridge, which she played with her friends, to Canasta, a long-time family tradition across four generations. In her younger years, Janet was a pilot, water skier and downhill skier.

Janet was preceded in death by her brother Roland Eugene Wemmer. She is survived by her husband, Art, and her son, Brett, his wife Mia and their children Sophie, Olivia, and Evelyn as well as her daughter, Amanda Crawford Stifel, her husband Andrew and their children Emma and William.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Washington National Cathedral or the American Cancer Society.