Obituary of Greta M Craven

 Greta Marie Craven passed away peacefully on Friday, November 9, 2018 at the Willow Pass Health Care Center in Concord, CA at the age of 101.  Greta was born in the Dutch province of Utrecht, Holland on September 22, 1917 to Richard and Gertrude Van Woerkom.  At the age of three, Mr. Van Woerkom decided to pack up his wife and three daughters, Greta, JoAnne, and Bettie, and move to Kalamazoo, Michigan to work with his brother.  

Greta grew up in Kalamazoo where she went to school, made friends and enjoyed family.   At the age of nineteen she met Homer Paul Craven who would chase after her and her girlfriends.  Not giving him the time of day, Greta would eventually marry Homer on September 3, 1936 in La Grange, Indiana. On May 14, 1940, Michael Paul Craven was born.  In 1952, they welcomed another son, David Richard Craven into this world. By 1954 Greta and Homer were living in San Francisco where she became a citizen of the United States on December 13.

Living in California, Greta raised her two boys and was a caring housewife until she lost her loving husband of 65 years on December 19, 2001.  She continued to be the best mom she could be for her two sons, Michael and David, until their deaths in November of 2015.  

Greta leaves behind a niece, Nancy (William) Kelly of Hayward, a nephew, Thomas (Joan) DeWitt of San Ramon, and several great-nephews and nieces who loved her dearly.

Greta lived a wonderful blessed life with many friends and a loving family.  She lived with dignity and grace and will surely be missed by all those who knew her. 

Graveside service will be held at 1:00 PM on November 29, 2018 at Sacramento Valley National Cemetery, located at 5810 Midway Road, Dixon, CA 95620.  A “Celebration of Life for Greta M. Craven” will be held on Sunday, December 9, 2018 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Antioch Seventh-day Adventist Church, located at 2200 Country Hills Drive, Antioch, CA  94509.