Submitted by: John C. Monk

William J. "Bill" Crance Oct. 6, 1951 - Oct. 26, 2008
SOUTH BEND - William J. Crance, 57, of South Bend, died after a short illness on Sunday, October 26, with his family at his side. Bill was born in Fort Wayne but lived in South Bend most of his life. He attended Marshall Grade School and Riley High School. He was a member of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church for many years and a faithful member of the church choir. He was previously employed by Fuller Brush, St. Joseph Regional Medical Center and Logan Industries. Bill was an amazing person who knew no strangers. Once you met him, his jovial personality and heart of gold made him hard to forget. For the past three years, Bill was very proud to be living in the Benham Group home in Elkhart, where he helped in the kitchen and added to his already long list of friends. Bill was especially skilled at math and had an uncanny recollection of information from the past. Surviving are his father and stepmother, James and Beverly Crance of South Bend; sisters, Judy (Dave) Dillon of Granger, and Heidi (Jeff) Deethardt of Mishawaka; a brother, Michael, of South Bend, and a stepbrother, Sean (Jenny) Spalding of California. Bill is also survived by a niece and nephew, Jennifer (Anthony) Marr of Granger and Brian Dillon of Colorado; as well as a great-niece and two great-nephews, Madison, Luke and Kelly, and many aunts, uncles and cousins. He was preceded in death by his mother, Mary Lou, on October 2, and a brother, Timothy, in 1996. Visitation will be Wednesday from 3 to 7 p.m. at Hahn Funeral Home, 505 W. 8th St., Mishawaka. Funeral services will be Thursday at 11 a.m. at Grace United Methodist Church, 3012 S. Twyckenham Dr., South Bend, where the family will greet friends one hour prior to the service. Rev. David Schrader will officiate. Burial will take place in Kendallville following the service. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to either of the following organizations that care for people with special needs and were a big part of Bill's life in recent years: Mosaic, 1415 Lincolnway West, Osceola, IN 46561; or Chiara Home, 1425 Clayton Drive, South Bend, IN 46614. To leave the family an online condolence or to share memories with the family, please visit our website at www.hahnfuneralhomes.com

Published in the South Bend Tribune, Oct. 29, 2008.