Karen Cronin tribute

Dear Friends:

A memorial service celebrating the life of Karen Cronin will be Saturday at 3 p.m. at The Meadowbrook Center. Her obituary, which appears in today’s Roanoke Times, is below.

There have also been many wonderful tributes this week to Karen:

Click here for a slideshow of some of Karen’s community involvement.

United Way executive director rembers long-time volunteer Karen Cronin

Roanoke Times 2/22/11: Karen Cronin: Woman’s charitable contribution in region was never-ending gift.

Depotdazed: “Karen Cronin: A Legacy of Caring, Compassion and Community”

Roanoke Times’ Obituary, Feb. 24, 2011:

Karen A. Cronin, 64, of Elliston, Va., devoted to her husband, family, friends and community, passed away on Sunday, February 20, 2011, following an accident while snorkeling in Hawaii.

Born in 1947 in Honolulu, Hawaii, she graduated Northwestern University in 1968 and later received a Master’s in Communication from Radford University. She worked at WDBJ-7 in Roanoke and for 22 years as a video producer and radio programmer at Virginia Tech. At Virginia Tech, she served as advisor to Delta Delta Delta sorority for which she was honored as Outstanding Sorority Advisor.

Karen’s legacy to eastern Montgomery County and all of the New River Valley is one of graceful and joyful service to others.

Since her retirement in 2003, she served as a full-time volunteer with the New River Valley United Way, Montgomery County Social Services board, League of Women Voters of Montgomery County and League of Women Voters of Virginia. She was a member of Chapter BD, Roanoke, of the PEO Sisterhood, a national philanthropic education organization.

She was a founding member and sustainer of the EastMont Garden Club and EastMont Arts Association, editor of The LINC Letter community newsletter for eastern Montgomery County, and a board member of the Mountain Valley Charitable Foundation.

She was a member of the EastMont Tomato Festival committee, and mentioned with particular tongue-in-cheek pride her illustrious reign as the 2009 Heirloom Tomato Queen. She was also a craft teacher for events at The Meadowbrook Center, teaching fabric and glass painting among other decorative crafts.

In honor of her volunteer service, Karen was inducted in 2009 into the inaugural class of “Leading Lights: Neighbors Helping Neighbors,” a community service award for the New River Valley.

She is survived by her husband, Mike Cronin, with whom she shared her passions of tennis, travel and gardening; her mother, Vivian Rivard, of Des Plaines, Ill.; her sister, Gretchen Nicholoff, of Hotchkiss, Colo.; two nephews, Jason Nicholoff and Blake Nicholoff; a great-nephew; and a great-niece.

A Memorial Service will be held 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 26, 2011, at The Meadowbrook Center, 267 Alleghany Spring Road, Shawsville.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to the Karen Cronin Legacy Fund with the Mountain Valley Charitable Foundation, P.O. Box 53, Shawsville, Va. 24162 or to the charity of choice. Proceeds from the Karen Cronin Legacy Fund will perpetually support programs and projects in her beloved eastern Montgomery County.

Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting http://www.hornefuneralservice.com/. The Cronin family is being served by Horne Funeral Home & Crematory, Christiansburg, Va., 540-382-2612.

Remembering Karen Cronin

Dear Friends,

Karen Cronin

It is with great sadness to announce the sudden death of our dear friend, caring neighbor and wonderful community volunteer, Karen Cronin, who passed away this morning following an accident on Friday while snorkeling in Hawaii.

Karen’s legacy to eastern Montgomery County and all of the New River Valley is one of graceful and joyful service to others.

Since retiring in 2003 from Virginia Tech after 22 years as a video producer and radio programmer, she has served as a full-time volunteer with the local United Way Board, Social Services Board, League of Women Voters local board and League of Women Voters state board.

She was a founding member and sustainer of the EastMont Garden Club and EastMont Arts Association, editor of The LINC Letter, and had recently become a board member of Mountain Valley Charitable Foundation.

She was a member of the EastMont Tomato Festival committee, and made a particular point of stating in her biography that she was the 2009 Heirloom Tomato Queen. She was also a craft teacher for events at the Meadowbrook Public Library and Community Center – teaching fabric and glass painting among other decorative crafts.

Outside of her community work, she was an avid tennis player and traveler — two hobbies she especially enjoyed sharing with her husband, Mike.

Local funeral arrangements are being handled by Horne Funeral Service. Mike will return from Hawaii to their Elliston home on Tuesday or Wednesday, at which time a memorial service will be planned.

Vote EastMont in “Best of NRV” poll

Make your voice — and choice — heard in the “Best of the New River Valley 2011 Survey” by The Roanoke Times.

This year’s poll thankfully acknowledges that life does exist outside the ‘Burgs.

Eastern Montgomery High School is a choice for ”Best high school sports program,” as is Waldron Family Y for “Best place to work out.”

But no mention of Shawsville Fourth of July as “Best place to watch fireworks”? Really?

Click here to take the poll.

For those questions lacking an EastMont option, click “Other” and fill in the only correct answer.