Janet Mary Denah Crema

October 5, 1936 - December 12, 2019
Janet Mary Denah Crema passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family on Thursday Dec. 12, 2019 at Hardy View Lodge in Grand Forks. Janet was born Oct. 5, 1936 in Regina and moved to Trail with her family in 1940. Janet was involved as a teenage community volunteer serving as a United Church Sunday School teacher and summer camp leader. After attending school in Trail Janet worked at Cominco as secretary to management. She married Carlo Crema in 1957 and they had two children: daughter Wendy born in 1961 and son Gerry born in 1964. She was a loving and devoted mom and became actively involved in their lives and activities. Janet served as president of the Trail Skating Club, helped to coordinate numerous ice shows and local competitions. She was a passionate artist who often burned the midnight oil creating and painting when her children were tucked in bed. As her family grew, she continued serving her community as president of the Trail Art Gallery, director of Kootenay Boundary Credit Union, board member of the Community Futures Program and contributing to the development of the Trail Performing Arts Centre. Janet was an amazing entrepreneur and along with 6 fellow artists started the Collage Boutique. She later transformed the business into an innovative arts and fashion boutique that served the Trail for 22 years.
She had an eye for fashion, design and styling and coordinated many amazing fashion shows that were community highlights. Janet was always learning and growing as a person. She attended David Thompson University as an adult to further develop her artistic skills and knowledge of art history. She was a prolific in her art until her health prevented her from creating. She and husband Carlo retired to beautiful Christina Lake in 1994 where they continued an incredibly active and fun-filled lifestyle. Janet loved to hike, cross country ski, swim, garden, travel and continue to create in her beautiful studio that Carlo built for her at their family cabin. She enjoyed many wonderful winter excursions with Carlo and their friends. Janet continued using her entrepreneurial and business skills in her retirement years as volunteer manager of the Waneta Village retirement community helping her son Gerry who was the developer. She continued her community service as an active member of the church, volunteer for the Christina Lake Auxiliary and designing of the Christina Lake Community Hall garden. While accomplishing so many amazing things in her life, Janet's most important priority was her family who always came first.
She was an amazing wife, mother and nana of 6 who devoted her life to caring for her family in Trail, Christina Lake and Kelowna. Cookies and muffins were always there for her grandchildren to enjoy; her pumpkin pies were looked forward to by family and friends and she always had a pot of something delicious for arriving family and friends. She was often found entertaining everyone with her amazing piano playing when family would dance and laugh and just have fun! Janet was full of life, love and passion for everyone and everything in her life and her smile, beauty inside and out and genuine kindness spread to everyone she knew. Her proud children were often heard to say "There's nothing that Nana can't do." She embraced life and that's what we will all lovingly remember. Janet is survived by her husband Carlo, her children Wendy and Gerry, and her 6 grandchildren, Darren, Daniel and Dillan Crema, Andrew, Kaitlyn and Emily McKay.
A celebration of life will be held on April 11th, 2020 at 2:00 pm at the Christina Lake Community Hall.