Joel Oscar Crandall

Joel Oscar Crandall passed away December 22, 2018, in Springfield, Missouri.  A kind and gentle man, who fought the good fight, finished the race and kept the faith.  Joel was born April 4, 1941, in Lake City, Iowa, to James and Agnes Crandall.  On September 1, 1963, he married Ina Claire Makings, his college sweetheart and the mother of his two children Lynne and Suzanne.  Ina died on November 24, 1977.  With devotion and determination, Joel raised his two young daughters.  On June 14 1991, Joel married Darlene Hale Moore and added three more daughters to his family.  Joel is survived by his wife, Darlene; children, Cindy Moore, Lynne Cowherd and her husband John, Deanna Wright and her husband Ed, Suzanne Amos and her husband Andy, and Tonya Cox and her husband Mike; his beloved grandchildren, Brandon Moore, Wilson, Sam, Sally, Mary Grace, and Nina Cowherd, Kylie and Gabe Wright, Gracie and Andy Amos and Devan and Logan Cox; three great-grandchildren; his sister, Rae Jean Schmitz, and his brother, Daryl Crandall.
Joel grew up in rural Iowa with loving parents and great friends.  He graduated from Northwest Missouri State University and began working for Sinclair Oil and then Chrysler Corporation.  He was a car salesman for many years and retired in June as a law firm private investigator.
Joel’s greatest joy was helping others.  He loved to pick up his granddaughters from school, and he always brought an after school treat.  He enjoyed going to his grandsons’ football, basketball and baseball games and watching his granddaughters play basketball.  The number of Joel’s friends were legion. From a drink with Mickey Mantle to his many Amish families, Joel loved people and enjoyed a good story.  Joel’s true character was revealed in his day-to-day acts of kindness and gentle words.  He made the most important decision of his life in the back room of a small-town law office led by his dear friend and son-in-law, John.   Joel accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior in November of 2015.  He faithfully attended church at the First United Methodist Church of Mount Vernon.
He will be dearly missed by his family and devoted wife. Darlene was a fierce, tireless and protective caregiver.  He could not have been loved more. With sadness at being left behind, Joel’s family rejoices in the assurance that he is, like all of God’s saints, precious in the sight of the Lord.
A celebration of Joel’s life with visitation was held from 10:00-11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December 26, 2018, at the Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mount Vernon, Missouri. Services followed at 11:00 a.m. Burial was at 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 27, 2018, at the Ridgely Cemetery, Edgerton, Missouri.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Little Rock, or Ina Crandall Memorial Park, Mountain Grove, Missouri.
Online condolences may be shared at www.FossettMosherFuneralHome.com.