Obituaries
Franklin Edward Crain
Published
3 years agoon
A Celebration of Life for Ed Crain, 92, will be held at 10:00 AM, Friday February 11th, 2022 at St Luke’s Episcopal Church, 178 S Main Street, Buffalo, WY. Interment will follow in the Willow Grove Cemetery, with graveside services performed by the Free and Accepted Masons, Anchor Lodge #7 of Buffalo, WY. Following the services a reception with refreshments, will be held at the Onderdonk Hall, adjoining Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church.
In-lieu of flowers, please make memorial donations to: The Bread of Life Food Pantry, PO Box 909, Buffalo WY 82834-0909, or the Shriners Children’s Hospital in Care of Kalif Shrine, PO Box K, Sheridan WY 82801.
Franklin Edward “Ed” Crain was born on November 20th, 1929 at the Freeman hospital on High Street, Buffalo, Wyoming, to Frank and Birdie (Peggy) Crain. He was the second oldest of the five children: including Pansy, James, Wanda and Barbara.
He grew up on the Crain homestead/ranch 32 miles south-east of Buffalo on Trabing Road in the Nine-Mile community. Ed attended a rural elementary school and graduated from Johnson County High School in 1947.
Ed married Helen C. Balden, of Buffalo, on December 16th 1950, at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church,
in Billings, Montana. They had four children: Loren, Peggy, Dawn and Marla.
Over the years, Ed and Helen made their home at the ranch, Gillette for a short time, and in Buffalo. Until the ranches were sold in 1966, he raised cattle and crops. The family moved into Buffalo, where they operated the Z-Bar Motel for a few years.
Ed worked as a rancher, hunting guide, police officer, oilfield roughneck, in seismography, a core drill truck operator, many facets of construction and operated his “Crain Concrete Construction” business, building masonry fireplaces, walls, and structures in the Buffalo area. He was a founding partner in Stor-A-Way, Inc.
Upon Ed’s retirement, he designed and built their home at 70 N Tisdale in Buffalo, where they lived for over 25 years, with a view of the Big Horn Mountains.
Ed was active in the Masonic Lodge, York Right, Shriners, Eastern Star, Jaycees, Toastmasters, St Luke’s Episcopal Church; and volunteering with the Jim Gatchell Museum, Ft. Phil Kearney Museum Board, as an election judge, serving on the Johnson County School District #1 Board, and supporting Buffalo and many other organizations in the community.
He enjoyed hunting, telling stories, being outdoors, reading western books, dancing, being at the cabin at Dull Knife Reservoir, old country music, and
tending his tomatoes. Spending the cold months in Yuma, AZ became warming to his soul. He was a self-taught woodworker crafting intricate, inlaid artful furniture. Surrounded by family, Ed quietly passed away the morning of February 4th, 2022 at the Johnson County Hospital following a short illness. He was preceded in death by his wife and soul-mate, Helen C Crain, Parents, and Siblings and two great grandsons. Surviving him are his children E. Loren (Cathy) Crain of Gillette, WY, Peggy (Gary) Kughn of Oklahoma City, OK; Dawn (Jim) Moreland of Plymouth, WA; Marla (John) Lewis of Buffalo, WY; 8 grandchildren, 23 Greatgrandchildren, one Great-greatgrandchild; and many nieces, nephews, and friends.