Marylou Dutton Kraner

Marylou Dutton Kraner, 88, of Bloomington, IN and formerly of Kokomo, IN, passed away on July 8, 2016 at Meadowood Health Pavilion in Bloomington. She was born on August 5, 1927 in Kokomo to Dr. Kenneth D. Dutton and Catherine Miller Dutton. Marylou graduated from Kokomo High School in 1945, where she was president of the Girls’ League and a class officer. She attended Indiana University- Bloomington, where she was a member of the Sigma Kappa Sorority. Marylou married her husband, Jack Harold Kraner on June 18, 1948, and was married until his death in 1989. Marylou was active in civic/community affairs with her husband, hosting events and entertaining with various representatives of Anheuser Busch, Miller Brewing Company, the Republican Party, and Kokomo Wildcat after-game parties at the Kraner’s. Along with Jack, Marylou belonged to the Kokomo Country Club, the Elks, the Moose, Green Acres Golf Club, and the Kokomo Swim Club. For eight years, she helped decorate the Governor’s Mansion for Christmas with other family members during the Bayh Administration. She served as a volunteer for the American Red Cross blood mobile, the Nearly New Shop, the Howard County Election Board, Sigma Kappa Alumni, the 1945 High School Class Reunion Committee, and Phi Bet Psi Sorority. Later in life, Marylou was a realtor with Cheek Realty where she was Sales Associate of the Month on many occasions, and also Scoggins, while living in Kokomo. A member of Grace United Methodist Church, she was a member of the Women’s Church Circle, Added Grace, and worked on the church kitchen committee as a volunteer, where she cooked for many church dinners, receptions, and funerals. Her hobbies during her life included travel with Kokomo Travel and Meadowood Travel, gardening, IU sports, antiquing, and various ladies’ coffee groups, bridge groups, bowling, golf leagues and many swim meets. The best years were consisting of swim meets, Spring Break in Florida, and IU game camping with family/swimming friends, and in her later years, spending time with friends at Meadowood. She moved to Bloomington after living her entire life in Kokomo, and moved to Meadowood Retirement Community to be close to family. At Meadowood, she continued to travel and was very active going “everywhere” the Meadowood bus was going. She volunteered at the Bloomington Thrift Shop, IU Football recruiting office, and the Meadowood Marketing Task Force. At Meadowood, she was active and stimulated by the various activities offered, and attending music concerts and IU football games. She continued to be active in her garden, at her home garden, bird watching from her apartment, and most recently art coloring in her last years. For a short stay, she resided at Stonecroft Assisted Living before moving to Meadowood Health Pavilion, where she always felt at home with friends. Marylou was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Bloomington. Marylou is survived by her two daughters, Beth Ann Kraner, Tipton, IN, and Connie McKay (Jim), Aurora, OH, and her son, Mark Kraner, Bloomington; her sister, Barbara Lewis (Elwood), Columbus, OH; her sister-in-law, Joan Ingels (John), of Kokomo; her grandchildren, Jackson (Tom Pasker), Jonathan (Nichole), Jacob (Danielle), Parker Adams, Micheal McKay (Shari), and Abbey Amar (Larry); and her great-grandchildren, Brayden McKay, Riley Welsch, Elijah Amar, Jace Adams, Abigial Adams, JJ Adams, Jonathan Adams, and Zoey Alt; and seven nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be on Wednesday, July 13 at 11 AM at Sunset Memory Garden Funeral Home, 2097 W. Alto Road, Kokomo, with visitation from 10-11 AM. Entombment will follow in Sunset Memory Garden Cemetery. A reception will be held in Bloomington on Tuesday, July 12 from 2-4 PM in the Terrace Room at Meadwood Retirement Community, 2455 Tamarack Trail, Bloomington, IN. Memorial contributions may be given to the Dr. Kenneth Dutton Scholarship in care of Grace United Methodist Church, 219 W. Mulberry Street, Kokomo, IN 46901. A tribute to Marylou Dutton Kraner’s life may be viewed online at www.sunsetmemorygarden.com, where condolences may be shared with her family.