In Loving Memory of Master Jill Crandall Our loss on November 15, 2002 -- A sadness has come to the American Martial Arts Institute. Master Jill Crandall passed away on November 15th, at the Bassett Health Care Cancer Center as a result of Carcinosarcoma Cancer. The martial arts world has lost a dedicated and extremely skilled teacher and practitioner. The following is the obituary which was released on Sunday, November 17th, and a news article which was published by the Observer-Dispatch on November 18th. Observer-Dispatch November17, 2002 Jill (Ortiz) Crandall Jill Ortiz Crandall, 52, beloved wife of Clifford C. Crandall, Jr., passed away Friday, November 15, 2002 at Bassett Healthcare Facility in Cooperstown, New York. Jill was born in Nyack, NY, on February 18, 1950, the daughter of George and Joan Outwater Ortiz. She was raised and educated in Pharsalia, NY. On July 17, 1984, Jill married Clifford C. Crandall, Jr., on Paradise Island in the Bahamas and returned to the US to have a Catholic ceremony through St. Peter's Church. Jill was a New York State Supreme Court Reporter. Jill led a very active life, being involved in many organizations as well as having many other interests. She was a Master Instructor of the American Eagle Style of martial arts; a certified Tai Chi instructor; a body builder; an instructor and author in women's self defense; and she was considered one of the top Naginata Stylists in the country, being an author, instructor and a champion, representing the US in China in 1994 and Russia in 1997 and taking medals in both. she was inducted into the Action Martial Arts Magazine International Hall of Fame in the year 2000. Jill was also a pilot and an experimental ultralight flight instructor, belonging to the EAA(Experimental Aircraft Association) and also a member of the Aero Sports Connection. She was a member of the National Court Reporters Association. Some of Jill's other hobbies included everything from skydiving, Black Diamond downhill snow skiing and water skiing, to Oriental gardening, ballroom dancing, golfing and most recently photography, especially of wildlife. She was also a collector of the Department 56 Village. Jill loved to travel, having been around the world several times. She was a member of St. Peter's Church in North Utica. Jill is survived by her husband, Clifford, North Utica; her father, George Ortiz, Cininnatus; two sisters an brother-in-law, Jaq and George Bonham, Virgil, NY, and Jeri and Jim Kober, Victor, NY; a brother and sister-in-law, Michael and Deborah Ortiz, North Carolina; and seven beloved nieces and nephews that Jill loved as if they were her own children, Alexa and Lawren, Jodie Allen and Kelsey, and Toby and Amber. Also surviving are many dear friends of which she met through and who shared in her active life. Jill was predeceased by her mother, Joan. A Memorial Mass for Jill Crandall will be held on Monday, November 18, 2002 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Peter's Church, North Utica. Memorial calling hours will be held at the Heirtz Funeral Home, 408 Herkimer Rd., North Utica, on Sunday from 4-8 p.m. Observer-Dispatch news article November 18, 2002 Master Jill Crandall with her competition Naginata standing in her home garden. Martial arts master dies at age 52 By Jennifer Warnick Jill Crandall was many things. In her career, she was a court reporter for the Supreme Court. For many years, she was also a martial arts master and instructor who traveled the world to compete. Crandall, 52, died Friday at Bassett Healthcare in Cooperstown. Born Jill Ortiz in Nyack, she married Clifford Crandall in 1984. He owns the American Martial Arts Institute in Yorkville and has practiced martial arts for more than 30 years. She was considered one of the country's top naginata stylists. The Naginata is a Japanese, sword-like weapon with a curved tip, originally used in war. Now, martial arts experts wield the hockey stick-shaped weapon either in a match with an opponent, or in a sort of routine of strikes, cuts and thrusts, emphasizing form and beauty of movement. Crandall won many medals and competitions in the United States, China and Russia. She won two international black belt titles in the span of a month in 1995. For one of those, she placed first in the women's senior kata division. In kata, competitors perform set patterns of blocks and strikes, envisioning and countering the moves of an imaginary attacker. She was also a Tai Chi instructor, a body builder and an instructor and author in women's self defense. Crandall had several instructional videos on self defense and martial arts. "As an instructor I love working with students, watching them grow and seeing them become more physically fit and confident," she said in a 1995 Observer-Dispatch interview. Crandall had a full palette and wide range of hobbies as well, including skydiving, Oriental gardening, ballroom dancing and photography. A Memorial Mass for Crandall will be conducted at St. Peter's Church in North Utica at 11 a.m. today. A heartfelt thank you goes out to the hundreds of people who showed their respect and sorrow during the calling hours and at the funeral service. Master Jill Crandall wished her body to be cremated and her, ashes scattered. As your heart aches from her loss, and yet rejoices for the opportunity to have known her, keep the following words in mind regarding her (these words were on the back of the prayer cards) Jill (Ortiz) Crandall February 18, 1950 - November 15, 2002 Do not stand at my grave and weep. I am not thee; I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow, I am the diamonds glint on snow. I am the gentle Autumn's rain, when you awaken in the mornings hush, I am the swift uprising rush of quiet birds in circled flight. I am the soft star that shines at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry; I am not there; I did not die. Master Crandall flying her powered parachute called JJ on 8/24/02. [Home] [Programs] [Our History] [Locations] [School Instructors] [School Textbook] [Superkicks Kids!] [China Trip] [Russia Trip] [Demo Team] [Tonfa Master Enterprises]