Betty Juanita "Blondie" Crites

Betty Juanita "Blondie" Crites, 87, of Olney, Illinois, passed away in her home on Saturday, May 24, 2025, surrounded by family.

Blondie was born January 17, 1938 in Lawrenceville, Illinois, the daughter of John and Ethel Irene (Warner) Tohill. She graduated Lawrenceville High School in 1956 and worked at the Lawrence County Courthouse as a legal secretary.

She married Kenneth Crites on his twenty-second birthday on October 11, 1957 in Lawrenceville, Illinois, and he preceded her in death on June 3, 2020.

Blondie was a devoted, loving wife and mother, and she dedicated her life to helping others. She was a lifelong member of the Eureka Church of Christ and member of the Claremont Community Club. She loved to laugh and chat with friends and family.

Up until the end, she shared her beautiful voice with others, singing Amazing Grace whenever anyone requested it. She was an organized businessperson and manager of the family business.

She is survived by her son, Duane Crites and his wife Melodie of Jacksonville, FL; daughter, Glenda Crites and husband Larry Groff of Olney; sister-in-law, Blanche Crites of Olney.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, Ken; her father John Tohill and stepmother, Dorothy Tohill; mother, Ethel Irene Tohill; half-sisters, Millie Wuhrman, Christine Sorenson, and Ella Bernadine Williams.

A funeral service will be held for Blondie at 10:00 AM on Saturday, May 31, 2025 at Kistler-Patterson Funeral Home in Olney, with Ben Woollard officiating. The visitation for friends and family will begin one hour before service time at the funeral home.

Interment will be privately held at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in rural Olney.

Kistler-Patterson Funeral Home in Olney has been entrusted with arrangements.

Memorials can be made to Eureka Church of Christ.