Sammy William Cron, 91, of Pomeroy passed away on February 19, 2015. A memorial service will be held at the First Christian Church in Pomeroy on Saturday March 7, 2015 at 11:00 A.M. A memorial service will also be held at a later date in Zillah, Washington.

Sammy was born to Samuel H. & Clara M. (Jackson) Cron on August 3, 1923 in Baxter, Missouri, a town southwest of Branson which is now covered by a man-made lake. The second of eight children, he dropped out of school at 15 when his mother died in order to care for his younger siblings and keep the family together. He joined the Army Air Corps near the end of World War II and was stationed in Texas only a short time when the war ended and he was discharged and returned to Missouri.

He then moved to California and worked in an orange packing house. One of his coworkers introduced Sammy to his sister, Lucille Cole. The couple married November 9, 1945 and moved back to Missouri/Arkansas near their families to farm and raise their family. After a severe drought devastated the region's crops, Sammy and a group of men traveled to pick fruit in Washington state while their families stayed behind. Sammy realized there were more opportunities in the Yakima Valley for someone who was used to hard work. In 1952 he moved his family to the area. After a few years working in orchards, he began working in general maintenance at the Toppenish U&I sugar plant. When the plant closed, he began working at the nearby Del Monte plant, operating a machine that cut tin plate to make cans. He retired from Del Monte in 1988 after over 20 years.

While living in the Yakima Valley, Sammy and his family were longtime members of Buena Baptist Church. He enjoyed fishing, gardening and traveling regularly with the family to Missouri/Arkansas. He always raised a few head of cattle and occasionally pigs. He instilled in his children a strong work ethic by being an example.

Lucille passed away in 1993. On April 4, 1998 Sammy married the former Ellen Nunley in Buena. After the wedding, Sammy and Ellen moved to Pomeroy, Washington. Where they made many friends and attended the First Christian Church. Sammy was always looking for a good cribbage game and played almost every week with friends at the Senior Center. Sammy and Ellen also enjoyed wintering in Yuma, Arizona for several years.

Sammy is survived by his wife Ellen Cron of Pomeroy; daughter Elaine (Gary) Preble of Olympia; sons Dan (Laury) Cron of Oregon and David Cron of Olympia; by Ellen's children Bob, Mike and Jim McPherson, Margaret Chambers, Donna Gates, Margie Anderson and Diane Scott; by his brother Delmar Cron of Weatherford, Oklahoma; as well as numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his wife Lucille, his son Randy and all but one of his siblings. Memorial contributions in Sammy's honor are suggested to the American Cancer Society or the Pomeroy Senior Center. Bruning Funeral Home of Colfax has been entrusted with funeral arrangements.