Shelly J. Criswell

Shelly Jo Criswell, age 44, of Tiffin, passed away Saturday, March 8, 2025, at her home surrounded by her family after a courageous battle with metastatic breast cancer. A Celebration of Life Gathering and luncheon will be held on April 12 from 12-4 pm at the Deep River American Legion. A private inurnment will be at the Harmony Cemetery in rural Brooklyn. A memorial fund has been established.

Shelly Jo is survived by Oscar Conrad Karr (5), he was her inspiration and motivation to live; her co-parent and friend, Daniel Karr; her parents, Richard and Vicky Crane of Brooklyn; her sisters, Sabrina Ann (Josh) Crane-Hopkins of North English and Samantha Sue (Kyle) Merten of Donahue; and four nephews, Teagan, Tanner and Tatum Merten and Noah Hopkins.

She was preceded in death by her maternal grandparents, LaVonne and Raymond Hawkins, paternal grandparents, Robert and Genevieve Crane, and her aunt Rhonda Fite.

Shelly Jo was born May 9, 1980, in Newton, the daughter of Richard and Vicky (Hawkins) Crane. She graduated from BGM High School with the class of 1998. Shelly was an avid learner and went on to college at UNI earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English, Spanish, Theatre and her doctorate in Education. Early in her career, Shelly was an adjunct professor at Warburg, UNI, and Hawkeye Community College and was a managing editor for The North American Review. She was passionate about her career as the program coordinator for the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program for the last several years. Shelly enjoyed cycling and participated in RAGBRAI several years. She loved gardening, cooking, reading, researching and art. She spent time camping with her family and traveling all around the country and the world. Shelly loved snuggling with her dogs, Toby and Tyson and her cat TJ. Most importantly, she loved creating memories and cuddle time with Oscar. Shelly was a unique young lady with a radiant smile that lit up any room she entered and everyone who met her fell in love with her.