Joan Margaret McCrory

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, October 6, 2015 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Iota for Joan Margaret McCrory, 68, who died October 1, 2015 at Lafayette Extended Care Hospital.
Fr. Jude Thierry, pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church will be officiating for the services. The family is requesting visiting hours to be held Monday from 11a.m. to 10 p.m. and Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. A rosary will be recited at 6:30 p.m. Monday. Interment will be in St. Joseph Cemetery.
Joan was born July 19, 1947 to the late J.M. McCrory and Dorothy Foret McCrory of Iota. She was a native of Iota and a resident of Baton Rouge. Her association and dedication with 4-H began early on as a member of Iota Junior 4-H Club. During Joan’s years as a member in Acadia Parish, she served on many parish boards and won numerous awards.
Upon graduation from Iota High School, Joan attended Louisiana State University where she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics and a Master of Science degree in Extension Education.
Joan’s first position upon graduation was in St. Tammany Parish as a 4-H Agent. She remained there for ten years. She later moved on to the position of Area 4-H Agent for the Eastern Area of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service. After ten years in this position, she moved to the State Office where she held the position of Associate Specialist in 4-H Youth Development. She retired as a tenured professor of the Department of 4-H Youth Development in 2005.
Joan had an active involvement with the Extension Associations: Louisiana Association of the Extension Home Economists, Louisiana Chapter of Epsilon Sigma Phi (an Extension Honor Fraternity), and the Louisiana Association of Extension 4-H Agents. Her hard work and dedication to 4-H and the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service obtained her numerous awards including distinguished service awards in all three associations, the Young Agent Award, and the Meritorious Service Award. In 1993, she was named the Acadia Parish Achievement Day Honoree and in 2007, she was inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame.
During her 36 year 4-H career, Joan emphasized her belief that helping a young person to develop life skills is more than just building knowledge in a technical subject matter. It involved different experiences, events, and social settings to develop the young person into a competent and caring adult. It is a process over time that 4-H develops a young person. Her dedicated service to Louisiana 4-H through the authoring of publications, improvement of processes, and leadership development led to a scholarship created in her name upon her retirement.
She is survived by her siblings, J. Mahlon “Buzz” (Charlotte) McCrory of Iota, and Gail McCrory LaSage of Evangeline, nieces and nephews, Nikie (Al) Patin, David (Christine) McCrory, and Lindsay (Richard) Hoyt, all of Lafayette, John (Heather) McCrory of Eunice, Myra (Dustin) Broussard of Iota, and Jill (Scott) O’Connell of Evangeline, and great nieces and nephews, William, Elise, and C.C. Patin, John David and Jack McCrory, Julia and Catherine Hoyt, Anna, Elizabeth, and Madeline Broussard, and Caleb, Jacob, and Laney O’Connell.
She was preceded in death by her parents, J.M. and Dorothy Foret McCrory, brother, Cecil McCrory, and nephew, Luke LaSage.
Pallbearers will be Al Patin, David McCrory, Richard Hoyt, Dustin Broussard, Scott O’Connell, and Mickey Foret.
Honorary pallbearers will be Joan’s great nephews.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the McCrory Family
4-H Scholarship Fund in care of the Louisiana 4-H Foundation, 102 Efferson Hall, 110 LSU Union Square; Baton Rouge, LA 70803.
Condolences may be sent to the family at geesey-ferguson.com
Arrangements have been entrusted to Geesey-Ferguson Funeral Home of Iota.