Lillian Croft

Lillian Esther Nicol Croft passed away peacefully on a March 13, 2023 at her residence in Salem, Oregon. Lillian was born in 1922 and was raised on the family farm near Marysville, Ohio. She attended St. John’s Parochial School and graduated from Darby High School in 1940 where she excelled at basketball and softball.

As a young woman, Lillian worked as a receptionist at O. M. Scott and Sons Co. in Marysville, Ohio. It was there she met Edward J. Croft who was soon to be transferred by the company to Palo Alto, California. Lillian and Edward were married in Palo Alto on April 24, 1948 and welcomed daughter Teresa Marie (Terri) into the family in 1951. In 1952, the family was again transferred to Salem, Oregon where son Jerry Edward and daughter Mary Patricia were born.

In 1960 the family bought just over 100 acres of land in the Orchard Heights hills west of Salem. They worked together to clear the land, build a home and a grass seed farming operation that continued until Ed passed away in a farming accident in 1975. Lillian kept the house and 3 acres of land where she resided until her passing.

Friends and family will probably remember Lillian most for her great sense of humor, the love of a good conversation and her wonderful memory and stories of growing up in the rural “German Settlement” near Marysville, Ohio. She lived by the motto: Always dwell on the positive; trust in the Lord and carry on.

Above all, Lillian loved life, her husband, children, grand and great-grand children, relatives, and friends as precious gifts from God. She enjoyed keeping close ties to her extended family and friends in Ohio. She was always supportive of the family’s interests and adventures.

Lillian was preceded in death by her husband, Edward J. Croft, her sisters Hilda (Alfred) Asman, Minnie (Lawrence) Blinn, Irene (Robert) Coleman, Josephine (Werner) Wulff, Erna (Edwin) Rausch, Miriam (Loren) Goff and her brother Harold Nicol.

She is survived by her children Terri (Richard) Morse, Jerry (Darcy Toronto) Croft, and Mary (Fred) Vandecoevering as well as three grand children, eight great grand children and many nieces and nephews.

Lillian was a member of Redeemer Lutheran Church of Salem where services will be held on Saturday, March 18th at 2:30pm. Lillian will be laid to rest next to her beloved husband at Restlawn Memory Garden near Salem. Virgil T. Golden Funeral Services of Salem are handling arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made in Lillian’s name to Redeemer Lutheran Church in Salem, Oregon,