Maureen Ann Farag

Maureen Ann (Crimmins) Farag, passed away on November 10, 2018. She was born on June 19, 1948, to William McCarthy Crimmins and Elizabeth “Betty” Marie (Grottendeck) Crimmins. She was the oldest of nine children. She was born in Boston Massachusetts, where she won Boston’s Most Beautiful Baby contest in 1949. Her family then moved to Muskegon, Michigan, when she was 16 years old. She graduated from Muskegon Catholic Central High School in 1966. She went on to attend Madonna University where she graduated with a BA in Art Education. During her college summers, Maureen worked on the Milwaukee Clipper where she met Robert “Bob” Farag. They dated for a few years and married on April 8, 1972, at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Muskegon, Michigan. They were married for 46 years. They made their home in Gary and then Miller Beach, Indiana, right by the same lake where they met. Maureen received her MA in Art Education and her Administration License at Purdue University Calumet and her Post Graduate degree in Accounting at Indiana University Northwest. Maureen and Bob have two beautiful and talented daughters- Jessica (Eric) Waters and Regan (Troy) Frost, of whom they are very proud. They have two amazingly beautiful and brilliant granddaughters-Lila and Olivia, and one way too cute grand dog-Pooh Bear. She is also survived by her siblings-Joanne Crimmins, Claire (Duane) Panozzo, Michael(Kelly) Crimmins, Regina (Greg) Gardiner, Mary (John) Starks, William (Linda) Crimmins; brother-in-law-Michael Cunningham. She was preceded in death by siblings- Elizabeth Cunningham, Susan (Thomas) Roush. Maureen was an educator for the School Town of Highland at Highland Middle School for 46 years. She was an Art Teachers for 33 years and the Assistant Principal for 13 years. While there, she won the “Shining Star Award” from the Indiana Middle Level Education Association. She positively influenced thousands of students, families, and teachers. She LOVED being an educator and found it to be the most rewarding profession. She served on the Gary Mental Health Board and the Miller Arts Council, and was a was a building representative for Indiana Middle Level Education Association as well as a member of the Board of Directors for the Art Education Association of Indiana. She and Bob owned the Griffith Golf Center for 25 years from 1984-2009 and the Griffith Family Video Store for 5 years. We will always remember “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all,” “Three squeezes,” “Have PMA (Positive Mental Attitude),” “Always make memories,” and that “Nanas always win.” Time of Sharing will be held at Burns Funeral Home (10101 Broadway, Crown Point, IN) on Friday, November 16, 2018, from 2 pm until 7 pm. A Celebration of Life will be held at Miller Bakery (555 S. Lake Street, Gary, IN) on Saturday, November 17, 2018, from 1 pm until 5 pm. In lieu of gifts and flowers, please donate to the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance at https://give.ocrfa.org/give/186942/#!/donation/checkout or Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, PO Box 32141, New York, NY 10087. Cremation will precede the Time of Sharing .www.burnsfuneral.com

Maureen Ann Farag

June 19, 1948 - November 10, 2018