Chere J. Crean

Chere Jeanine Crean, 60, of Harrisville died at home peacefully, surrounded by her family on Monday, November 5, 2012, following a heroic battle with cancer. She was born December 3, 1951 to Robert and Jennie Messer in Highland Park, Michigan. Her twin sister, Bobby Jo, died at birth. She graduated from Utica High School and attended Baker College in Owosso. In November 1976 she married Greg Crean in Detroit, Mich. The couple moved to Harrisville in the early 1980s where they own and operate Northern Technical Services. Chere was a member of the Alcona Community Schools Board of Education and served as the school’s Drug Free Schools Grant Administrator during the 1990s. She attended Harrisville Methodist Church and often acted as evangelist and lay reader there. She was a volunteer archiving and classifying the rare book collection at the Harrisville Institute for Cultural Learning, a member of the Board of Alcona Local Foods Association (ALFA, the secretary of the Harrisville Depot Preservation Group and a founding member of RTS, Harrisville. Chere was a student of the scriptures, a noted herbalist, a remarkable singer and a talented craftsman. She loved cooking, Shakespeare, Lake Huron and her family. She served as surrogate mother to countless young people throughout her lifetime. She is survived by her beloved husband, Greg; three sons, Jeremy Crean of Harrisville, Aaron Crean of Harrisville and Sean Crean of Traverse City, Mich.; two daughters, Jhessa (George Solomon) Crean of Detroit, Mich. and Raychel (Don Flannigan) Crean from Detroit, Mich.; two grandchildren, Connor Michael Flannigan and Briella Chere Crean; one sister-in-law Jayme of Greenbush; and one brother-in-law Jim (Pat) Crean of Dryden, Mich.; sister of the heart, Kathryn (Art) Kniep; and faithful canine companions, Salem and Jhasha. She was predeceased by her parents; her “second mother,” Delores Crean; and one sister, Janet Sullivan. A service was held on Saturday, November 10th at Gillies Funeral Home in Harrisville with interment following at Mount Joy Cemetery. Donations in Chere’s name may be made to My Brother’s Hope through the Harrisville Methodist Church or the Harrisville Institute for Cultural Learning. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Chere J. Crean, please visit our flower store.