Dr. Reynold M. Crane, Jr., DDS

Dr. Reynold Marvin Crane, Jr., DDS, (“Rennie”), 76, of Danville, passed away on April 21, 2023 after a long and heartfelt battle with cancer. 

Rennie was born February 19, 1947 to Reynold M. Crane and Susan Parkhurst Crane in Cleveland, Ohio.  He attended High School in Shaker Heights where he began a successful swimming career.  He won the 100-yard breaststroke Ohio State Champion Title his Senior year (1965) and was later inducted to the Shaker Schools’ Alumni Hall of Fame.  He went on to swim for Ohio State where he led the Buckeyes in 1968 and 1969. 

Shortly after his swimming career ended, he began pursuing his interest in the martial arts.  Rennie earned a black belt in Karate in the early 1970s and continued to study various forms of martial arts, including close range combat (Wing Chun) under the direction of Wing Chun Kung Fu Grandmaster Randy Williams. 

After graduating from Ohio State in 1969, he continued his education at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine where he earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery in 1974.  He earned his certificate of Oral & Maxillofacial Radiology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1979.  Rennie’s professional career landed solidly with his oral surgery private practice maintaining offices in Northumberland and Bloomsburg.  His gentle bedside manner, genuine concern for his patients, employees, and technical surgical skills earned him a reputation as one of the premier oral surgeons in Central Pennsylvania and abroad.

Rennie traveled throughout the world offering his time, compassion, and surgical skills to the most vulnerable among us.  His philanthropic efforts changed the lives of people all over our planet.  From Ecuador to Lithuania, Nepal, China, and Vietnam, Rennie improved the lives of his patients, their families, and villages he visited.  In the weeks preceding his passing, Rennie reflected upon his travels noting that helping children abroad gave him the most rewarding memories of his professional career.

Anyone who knew Rennie knew that he truly was a gentle man.  He had a unique ability to create special moments of personal connection with family, friends, patients, and strangers.  He will forever be missed and loved by those that had the fortune to know him.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Beth; his children Ren (and Tory Crane), Jacqueline (and Eric Peacock), and Brian Crane; his grandchildren: Duncan, Fiona, Zöe, Owen, Ben, Chloe, and Drew; and his siblings Margaret Wingstedt, Suki Brannan, David Crane, and Debbie Self.

There will be a memorial service at the Grove Presbyterian Church in Danville, on Saturday, July 8, 2023 at 11:00 a.m.  In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to “About Face Foundation”, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to providing life-changing facial surgeries to the people of Vietnam, 16673 W. Archer Avenue., Golden, CO 80401.