Bertha Mae Craner

  General Notes:

BERTHA MAY CRANER (1889 - 1967)

Bertha was born 8 February 1889 in Oakley, Cassia, Idaho. She was the third child and first daughter born to John Harrison and Rosena Lyon Lee Craner. Bertha had a very happy life and loving parents.
When she was about eleven years old her family moved into a lovely brick home. Here her friends and other members of the community came to dance. They would roll up the rugs and dance to the family orchestra which consisted of a piano, violin, and a guitar.
In 1906 Bertha met Alma Lee, at a dance in Marion, Idaho. He was a returned Missionary who had come to Idaho where his mother had moved while he had been away in the Southern States Mission. Alma was full of jokes and loved to tell and pull jokes on people.
Shortly after they met Alma went to Idaho Falls, Idaho to work. Before he left he ask Bertha to write to him. She would see him a few times when he could come to Oakley. During that year the spark of romance burst into love. They were married 19 September 1907 in the Salt Lake LDS Temple.
Al and Bertha were the parents of six children:

Name:Birth Date:Death Date:
1. Philma Craner12 Sep 1908 5 Jul 1928
2. Loyd Craner 15 May 191020 Aug 1980
3. Beulah Craner23 Sep 191110 Aug 1978
4. Wilmer Craner 8 Jan 1913 8 Jan 1960
5. Zelda Craner 2 Jan 1915
6. Ross Craner10 Dec 1916 8 Nov 1986

Al and Bertha lived in Idaho Falls for a short time while Al worked in the sugar factory. They returned to Artesian City, near Twin Falls, Idaho and ran a store and Post Office. Al got a timber contract with the U.C. Company and they took their 5 children and lived in a trailer house on the top of a mountain for a winter and summer. For ten years they moved all around Magic Valley (Twin Falls, Idaho area) working on road construction and farming.
Alma's health was bad and his eyes were failing. In 1928 he and Bertha took their three youngest children and went to Salt Lake City to see an eye specialist. Philma went down with them on her vacations from the natatorium where she worked. She was a happy fun-filled girl always ready for some new adventure. She was planning on going back home on the bus but while in Salt Lake she met a fellow she had known who offered to take her home with him on his motorcycle. This was a new adventure so Philma accepted his offer. Just south of Burley, with only a few more miles to go, a car forced the motorcycle off the road and Philma was thrown off, hitting her head against a rock. A few short hours later, on 5 July 1928, without regaining consciousness, Philma passed away before her loved ones could make it to Burley.
That fall they moved to Torrinton, Wyoming, where Alma and the two oldest boys worked in the sugar factory. They returned to Twin Falls and bought a home. Two years later they sold it and moved to Jerome where they farmed about nine years before buying a farm in Richfield. Three years later Alma's health had failed so that he couldn't work any longer, so they rented the farm to Loyd and moved to California. In March of 1946 they moved back to Twin Falls and the following October, Alma passed away.
Bertha returned to California for the winter and then moved back to Jerome. In 1948 she built a home of cinder blocks. She and her brother Melvin lived there for four years. While she was there she improved the farm and had cement walks made.
On 9 July 1952, construction began on the home Bertha built on Main St in Jerome. She had rented her farm to Clifford and Neola Dayley a few years prior. Bertha moved into her new home just before Thanksgiving and the family came for Thanksgiving dinner. She said this was one of the happiest days in her life.
Bertha died 28 Jan 1989 in Jerome, Jerome, Idaho and was buried in Oakley, Cassia, Idaho.

Loyd Craner owns his own farm in Richfield, Idaho. He is married to Fay and they have two children.
Beulah married Guy Bliesner. They are the parents of two sons.
Wilmer married Eva and they lived in Jerome where he was engaged in farming. In 1942 they moved to California where he worked for Bethlehem Steel in San Francisco. He then joined the Merchant Marines when World War II was declared. After his discharge from the service he farmed in Sacramento. While farming and working for the Southern Pacific Railroad, it was discovered that he had a serious heart condition. About a year later he was sent to the Southern Pacific Hospital where he underwent surgery on 8 December 1959. Bertha went down to be with him while he was operated on; and when he started to recover she came back home to Jerome. On January 4, Ross and Bertha received word he was critically ill, and they flew down immediately. Bertha stayed there until he passed away on 27 January 1960. Wilmer and his wife, Eva Lavonia Billman had three children.
Zelda lived on a farm in Richfield, Idaho. She married twice. After her second husband's death in 1949 she moved to California. Zelda had three children.
Ross worked in the garage and car business for several years. Ross married Mildred and they had five children.



Sources: Life Story of …..Bertha May Craner Lee (Bertha told to a granddaughter, Marsha Lee, 1962)
Submitted by Marsha Sparhawk Edited by Jeri Ann Fogg


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  LDS Information:

Baptism: 5 Sep 1897

Endowment: 19 Sep 1907, Salt Lake Temple

Sealed to Parents: BIC

She was sealed to her spouse on 19 Sep 1907 at Salt Lake Temple. (Alma Shields Lee was born on 12 Feb 1881 in Milton, Tooele, Utah, USA and died on 8 Oct 1946 in Idaho Falls, Bonneville, Idaho, USA.)