A funeral service for Marilyn N. Crane will be held at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 31, 2023 in First United Methodist Church with Rev. Sean Cho, Senior Pastor officiating.  Following the service Mrs. Crane will be laid to rest in Sunset Memorial Gardens.  Services are under direction of Becker-Rabon Funeral Home.

The family will greet friends from 5-7 pm Tuesday at the funeral home.

Marilyn N. Crane was born October 18, 1930 in Oregon, Missouri and died peacefully May 25, 2023 at a Lawton nursing center, surrounded by family.  She was 92 years of age.  She was the daughter of Raymond C. and Marjorie (Evans) Nauman.  She married Charles Carter Crane in September of 1948.  They were married 38 years prior to his death in 1986.

Marilyn was a driving force for the Lawton community in providing services for the poor, homeless and less fortunate as well as bringing necessary medical services to Lawton.  In April 1970, Marilyn together with the Lawton Junior Service League established the Lawton Mammography (Breast X-ray) Clinic.  They were assisted by Dr. Durso, OU Health Sciences Center (OKC) establishing the clinic as an outreach services site for his research at OU Health Sciences.

Marilyn, along with her late husband, C. Carter Crane, founded the Lawton Food Bank August 1, 1985.  They were initially supported solely by donations from local churches and individuals.  Later, Marilyn learned to become a grant writer in order to successfully apply for government grants.  The Food Bank later became a United Way supported agency for the Lawton community.

A year after the Food bank was established Marilyn and Carter founded the first of two shelters for the homeless.  The first being a converted residence.  The second, with assistance from the Fort Sill commandant, was a converted barracks building refitted as the C. Carter Crane Shelter for the Homeless, which continues to operate today in south Lawton, near the regional airport. She had been honored as "First Lady of Lawton" in 1986 by Lawton Beta Sigma Phi and as "Citizen of the Year" in 1992 by the Oklahoma National Association of Social Workers.  Her selfless service to the Lawton community was a reflection of her deep faith in God.

Survivors include three sons, Stephen R. Crane Edmond, Oklahoma and his partner, John Crabtree; Wesley Blake Crane, North Richland Hills, Texas and his wife Karen Crane; and David Allen Crane, Lawton, Oklahoma and his spouse, Joanell Specht; five grandchildren, Lauren Wolfe, Lawton, and her husband Austin Wolfe; Ashley Brumbaugh, La Porte, Texas and her husband Kolton Brumbaugh; Elisha Crane, Houston, Texas; Ezekial Mort, Denton, Texas; and Isaiah Crane, Houston, Texas; three great grandchildren, Peyton Grace Wolfe, Dawson Carter Wolfe and Jensyn Allie Wolfe, all of Lawton.  Additionally, she is survived by a lifelong friend, Ella Marie Cappozi, Edmond, Oklahoma.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Lawton Food Bank or the C. Carter Crane Shelter for the Homeless.