Teresa Craney

CRANEY TERESA CRANEY (nee Reilly), age 96, on Oct 30, 2020 of Fort Washington. Wife of the late George E. Craney. Survived by her children, Karen Allen (Michael), Peggy Mattis (Ken), Mark (Trudy), Claire Dukes, Joan (Peter Iannuzzo), George (Jacki), Thomas (Claire), 15 grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren. Relatives and friends may call at Holy Martyrs Church, 120 Allison Rd., Oreland, Saturday, Nov 7th at 9:30 AM. Funeral Mass 10:30 AM. Interment Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Miraculous Medal Shrine, 475 E. Chelten Ave., Phila., PA 19144. Teresa was one of nine children, including 2 step-brothers and a step-sister. Her Father died when she was just a few weeks old. Teresa began first grade when she was 5 years old so her mother could work full time. She attended Our Mother of Consolation grammar school, and much to her brother Tom's consternation was in the same class as he was. She quickly became the means of communication for all the "notes" that went home from school about her brother Tom. He called her a tattletale, but she insisted she was innocent and just doing what the nuns asked. She wanted to become a nurse when she finished Germantown High School, and was awarded a scholarship to a local hospital School of Nursing but could not afford to pay for the uniforms and books. She instead attended school to learn shorthand and typing. Upon graduation she worked as the personal secretary for Walter Miller, President of Miller Box Company. During WWII she volunteered at the Naval Interceptor Command, where she received security clearance to identify and mark off location of ships and submarines on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. She met her future husband, George Craney, when a mutual friend, Arthur Bridgeford, brought him to the Reilly household to meet the 5 redheaded sisters that lived there. They began dating soon after. George was serious and wanted to get married. Teresa was the youngest of the family and wanted to continue having fun going out in groups with friends. She came home one evening to find George in her mother's kitchen making needed repairs to windows, doors, furniture, and/or anything else Mrs. Reilly wanted done. Teresa soon had her mother whispering in her ear that she would find no better man than George Craney. They married in 1948 and had seven children. The family home was on Burton Road in Oreland. This is where the children grew up. In 1967 Teresa and George started Crescent Vending Company. George was the salesman and mechanic. Teresa was the bookkeeper, secretary and answered the phone. Together they successfully grew the family business until it was sold in 2019. She was avid swimmer, both at the Oreland Swim Club and at their Gardens Plaza condo in Ocean City, NJ. Teresa loved flowers and gardening. They were one of the original families to join Holy Martyrs Church. She was an active parishioner for close to 70 years attending mass every day until she was no longer able to drive herself. In 1987 their dream home was built in Ft Washington and she lived there for 33 years. Every Christmas gathering was at her house where Santa magically appeared and passed out envelopes from her to the grandchildren and great grandchildren. Teresa always had a smile and a hug for everyone who walked through the door. She was a softy for neighborhood cats, when the owners went to work, the cats came to her door and feasted on Friskies. A life long traveller, besides trips to Ireland to visit family, Teresa and George made pilgrimages to Rome, Venezuela, Yugoslavia and many shrines to the Blessed Mother in both Canada and the United States. Her favorite shrine though, was the Miraculous Medal in Germantown. She began going as a young girl and continued making visits into her 96th year.