Ida May Krahn

Ida May Krahn, age 86, of Thomson, Illinois passed away Sunday, August 13, 2017, at Morrison Community Hospital, Morrison, Illinois. A funeral service will be held 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, August 16, 2017 at the Thomson United Methodist Church, with visitation prior to the service from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. at the Church. Inurnment will take place at a later date in the Savanna Township Cemetery, Savanna, Illinois. A memorial fund has been established in Ida's memory.

Ida was born on October 9, 1930, in Clinton, Iowa, the daughter of Sam and May (Hitcock) Jones. She attended several schools throughout the states. On August 26, 1950, Ida married John Krahn. They celebrated 62 years of marriage until John’s death on March 3, 2013.

In 1959 Ida and John moved to Thomson and became partners in the Lewis Motor Company with Paul and Bob Lewis. In 1966, they built a new facility for the Chevrolet dealership, which included Krahn Koffee Kup, which Ida managed. In 1968, they purchased RJ Caron Chevrolet in Savanna and continued to operate both dealerships until 1975. Ida and John later sold the facilities in Thomson to James Automotive. In 1974, the Krahns purchased Diehl Oil Company in Thomson and built new facilities in 1987, which included a laundromat, car wash, shop, and office space. In 1977 they acquired the Oldsmobile franchise and built a new facility at 800 Viaduct Road in Savanna. Ida and John later sold this dealership to Guffey Motors in 1982. They also owned and operated Krahn Transit School Buses from 1982-1992 providing school transportation for Savanna and Thomson school children. Ida also cooked for Camp Far Horizons. Her door was always open to feed friends and family—especially her peanut butter pies, potato salad and cheesy potatoes.

Ida will be dearly missed by six grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; two step great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; three brothers, Larry (Alda) Jones of Clinton, Iowa, Terry Jones of Fulton, Illinois and Sam (Kay) Jones of Florida; three sisters, Laura (Daryl) Hansen of Clinton, Marian Barr of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Alice Jones of Arkansas. Ida is preceded in death by her husband John; three sons, Warren, Dale and Doug Krahn, and two brothers, Duane and Jimmy Jones.