Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913

Grace Lucy Krall

On May 16, 2014, Grace Lucy (Caricaburu) Krall, 84, was freed from her long battle with Alzheimer's disease.

One of seven children, she was born Sept. 11, 1929, on a small sheep ranch near Glasgow, Mont., to Pete and Mary Jane Caricaburu.

She may not have received a high level of formal education, but that didn't hinder her in life. While working on the campus of Montana State University, she met Gerald James "Jerry" Krall. They were married April 2, 1956. They eventually moved to Reno, Nev. She and Gerald were married for 52 years, until Gerald's passing in 2008.

Grace worked at the University of Nevada in Reno, in the College of Agriculture as a senior clerk typist from 1964-66. She also worked for the Harrah's Corporation, where she went from a new hire to senior clerk to head clerk in the Personnel Office in a span of seven months. She received rave reviews for her dedication to her work, neatness and attention to detail.

In 1968, she and Gerald were blessed when they adopted Peter. A little more than two years later, they were again blessed when they adopted Christopher. Grace's role changed to that of a Mother. She kept a famously clean household and kept two young boys more or less in line. She later added the role of chauffeur, bringing the boys to and from school, various martial arts lessons, baseball, football and basketball practices and any other of the myriad places young boys without driver's licenses demand to be taken. All the while, the household remained in order. She was famous among the boys' neighborhood friends for nearly always wearing bright yellow dishwashing gloves while doing her housework.

After Jerry retired from the Washoe County School District, she and Gerald travelled to Hawaii, London, Mexico and Italy.

After Jerry's passing, she moved to The Seasons, an assisted living facility in Reno. In 2009, she moved to the Memory Care side. There, she somehow found a tiara, and almost instantly gained the nickname "Princess Grace." She received excellent care there and was a favorite among the staff. She lived there for six years until her passing on May 16, 2014.

She was preceded in death by siblings Leonard, John, Genevieve and Alice.

Survivors include two sons, Pete and his wife, Melissa, and Chris and his wife, Theresa; two grandsons, Jacob and William; two sisters, Marion of Denver, Colo., and Helen of Billings; and many nieces and nephews.

No services are planned. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Alzheimer's Association, Northern Nevada and Northern California Chapter, 1301 Cordone Ave., Ste. 180, Reno, NV 89502. (www.alz.org/norcal).

 

Reader Comments(0)