Barbara Crowers

CANFIELD – Barbara Joan (Kryder) Crowers, formerly of Zionsville, Pa. and Huntington County, N.J., lived close to her younger daughter, Lynne, for her first 50 years of marriage. She moved to Boardman, in 2011 with her husband, Ben, to live close to their older daughter, Joan, for the remainder of their married life.

Barbara passed away peacefully on July 3, 2018, with her family by her side after years of battling Parkinson’s Disease.

Barbara was born Oct. 22, 1931, the daughter of Wayne and Dorothea (Kaste) Kryder in Chestnut Hill, Pa.

She graduated from Abington High School and Temple University in Philadelphia, and taught Health and Physical Education for 31 years in North Plainfield and South Plainfield, N.J.

Barbara was an outstanding athlete, earning 11 varsity letters at Temple for field hockey, basketball, and softball. She was a very successful varsity field hockey and basketball coach at North Plainfield High School in New Jersey and at the Swain School in Allentown, Pa. She also coached field hockey at Cedar Crest College in Allentown. She was a member of Delta Psi Kappa at Temple University.

Barbara enjoyed many years of skiing in the eastern and western United States and especially enjoyed an extended ski trip to Austria.

Barbara and Ben attended the Good Hope Lutheran Church in Boardman upon moving to Ohio and in 2014 joined the Zion Lutheran Church in Youngstown, to be with the Fahey and Wages families.

Barbara leaves a very sad husband of 64 years, Benjamin Crowers, who will miss her greatly and will patiently wait to be with her again. She also leaves her two children, Joan Fahey (Jack) of Canfield, and Lynne Kozicki (Jim) of Flemington, N.J. Her sister, Wynne LaHavich (Bruce) of Blairstown, N.J., has been a wonderful morale builder for Barbara. She also has four grandchildren, Laura (Fahey) Thomas-Wages of Canfield, John Fahey of Pittsburgh, and Timothy Kozicki (Lauren) and Jennifer Kozicki of Flemington. She wishes her two great-grandsons, Jackson and Joey Wages the very best.

Calling hours will be at 3 p.m. on Friday, July 6, at the Zion Lutheran Church, 3300 Canfield Road, in Youngstown. The funeral service will begin at 4 p.m.

Memorial donations may be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation, P.O. Box 6003, Albert Lea, MN 56007-9902 and/or to Hospice of the Valley, 5190 Market St., Youngstown, OH 44512.

Professional arrangements are being handled by the Higgins-Reardon Funeral Homes, Boardman-Canfield Chapel.