Jean Crichton's Obituary
Born at home on Oakland’s Fourth St. on June 6th, 1921, Jean Jow Crichton, the third of six children born to Jow Pong and Elizabeth Hue, died peacefully on April 27th, 2024 just five weeks shy of her 103rd birthday. Jean endured a childhood of dire poverty after her father died during the Depression era. However, she found a refuge in drawing and music, winning awards for her work as a grade schooler and earning her weekly piano lessons in Berkeley by cutting her teacher’s lawn. During WWII, her drawings of tools and aircraft parts were used by Ryan Aeronautical to illustrate their technicals manuals and for blue prints.
While doing secretarial work at the West Berkeley YMCA, she met the love of her life, Leland Scott Crichton. Marrying in Gallup, NM, they enjoyed a 67-year marriage, sharing love and admiration until Lee’s death in 1995. They built a home in Mill Valley, CA and raised a son and a daughter, while Lee worked at the Central YMCA in San Francisco.
Jean was a gourmet cook, specializing in Cantonese cuisine (her sweet and sour duck was unique) She also loved baking, serving fresh fruit pies, cookies of all kinds and cakes for all occasions, especially for her children’s birthday parties and luncheons with friends.
Creative and curious, Jean excelled at artistic activities, from making ships in bottles, annual Christmas ornaments for eighty years, mastering then teaching the guitar, painting oils and watercolors, and origami.
Predeceased by her parents, siblings, her husband Lee and daughter Lori, she is survived by numerous nieces and nephews and her devoted son Fred. Donations in her memory she asked to be made to the Chinatown YMCA of San Francisco.”
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