Jessie Clampitt Crane passed away peacefully on Sunday May 7, 2026. Jessie was born in Swain County, North Carolina to William and Edna Clampitt. She graduated from Almond High School, where she was valedictorian.

With the Tennessee Valley Authority and Fontana Lake looming, she and her family moved to Transylvania County where she met Quentin Crane on a blind date. He stood her up on their first attempt, but with good reason, he was recovering from malaria acquired while fighting in the Pacific. This was a first for Jessie, who was very popular, but she grudgingly agreed to go out with him. They fell madly in love and were married for fifty-one wonderful years until his unexpected passing in 1997. They were as close as spouses can ever be. So close that they went into business together – running Crane Realty in Brevard for many years. She sold houses and he sold land. It was a perfect business partnership.

She was also an avid member of the Grand Old Party. She and Quentin went on a honeymoon trip out west in 1948. On November 2, 1948, she went to bed thinking that Republican Thomas Dewey had won, giving her bragging rights over Quentin, then a Democrat. Of course, she had to eat crow the next morning. That said, she never voted for a Democrat until 2016.

She was an excellent cook and for many years headed the cake committee at Enon Baptist Church. Back in the 1960s, when most Southern cooks were focused on grits and collards, she was branching out – making spaghetti and once, at the urging of one of her daughters, trying her hand successfully at stuffed grape leaves. She loved good food and often remembered events based on what she had to eat that day.

She was also an incredible seamstress. As a result, her daughters were always dressed in the latest, and most beautiful, trends. She spent hours smocking and embroidering dresses and once created a replica of Scarlett O'Hara's Twelve Oaks dress for her "Gone with the Wind" obsessed daughter's prom.

She is survived by her two daughters – Janice Andersen and Debbie Crane, who learned many life lessons from their mother not the least of which was to trust but verify in all situations. An attitude she had long before it was made famous by one of her favorite presidents, Ronald Reagan. She was a wonderful mother – urging her daughters to reach for the stars and constantly reminding them that, in reality, women were equal or superior to men in every way.

She doted on her only grandson Ben Andersen and was equally enthralled by his daughter Mia.

She is survived by Janice Andersen, Debbie Crane and son-in-law George Sagar, Ben and Brittni Andersen and Mia Andersen as well as two nephews, Gary and Dwight Hollingsworth.

A graveside service to honor Jessie will be held 11am, Saturday, May 13, 2023 at Blue Ridge Gardens of Memory.

Many thanks to Four Seasons Hospice for their care for Jessie at the end of her life. Donations in her name can be made to Four Seasons Hospice, 571 South Allen Road, Flat Rock NC 28731.

Online condolences may be left at www.moodyconnollyfuneralhome.com

Moody-Connolly Funeral Home and Crematory is caring for the family.