FAYETTEVILLE — John Virgil Crone,

78, passed away peacefully on November 11, 2023, at his residence in Fayetteville, Ark., surrounded by his loving family.

Born September 27, 1945, in Beloit, Wis., to Richard Duane Crone and Jean Katherine Spies Crone, he received a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the University of Georgia in his hometown of Athens, Ga. John met Elizabeth Battson, his first wife, while working abroad in Christchurch, New Zealand. After a two-year stint in London with an architecture firm, he returned to the U.S. to pursue a Masters of Regional Planning at the University of Pennsylvania where he studied with Ian McCarg (Design with Nature).

The couple ventured to Winslow, Ark., to complete his thesis and to homestead on a farm inherited from John’s maternal grandfather, Chester Beck Spies, who had served as an engineer under the Civilian Conservation Corps. John and “Liz” reclaimd the Winslow property and raised three children, Christopher, Ben and Jonathan, who were joined by Ian Dickie, Elizabeth’s first child.

In 1980, John joined the faculty of the Fay Jones School of Architecture, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. He certified the School of Landscape Architecture and served as a professor for 30 years. Active in the Studies Abroad program, he enjoyed leading student tours of the great plazas and public gardens of Italy, France, and England. A friendship with timber baron/philanthropist Verna Cook Garvin led her to bequeath a 210-acre botanical garden on Lake Hamilton to the University and to commission Fay Jones and partner Maurice Jennings to design a stunning chapel pavilion in the woodland environment now known as Garvin Gardens.

As Fayetteville’s woods and farmland gave way to urban development, John teamed up with professor emeritus Karen Rollet-Crocker to establish the criteria for an award-winning GIS Study to identify and preserve the best green sites, introducing students to conservation planning on a regional scale. His academic research included urban cycling paths, traffic roundabouts, and a sabbatical with his family in Bali, Indonesia. Active in the community, John served on Fayetteville’s planning commission, aiming to balance development with sensitivity to the ecosystem.

Upon his second marriage to Camilla Romund (1984), John built a home in Fayetteville’s historic district and a desert cabin in Morongo Valley, Calif., where he hosted numerous hikers.

In retirement, work was his play, and “Croneland” consisted of dreaming up new projects, managing investment properties and hosting Airbnbs. Family time was spent traveling, tinkering, camping, strumming his guitar, riding motorcycles, and taking his grandchildren to his favorite swimming holes.

He is survived by his wife, Camille Crone, Elizabeth Crone of Winslow, three sons, Christopher John Crone, Ben Spies Crone, Jonathan Day Crone of Fayetteville; four grandchildren, Isabel Skye Crone, Beckham James Crone, Johnny Kolson Crone, and Lily Spies Crone; two sisters, Anne Hersh of New York and Katherine (Katy) Christie of Richmond, Calif., and two stepdaughters, Emily Romund of Richmond, Calif., and Alana Romund of San Francisco.

His ashes will be interred next to his mother’s gravestone on the Winslow farm where John built the dream house that she designed. During his final months in hospice, he was comforted by the power of prayer, his beloved family and compassionate caregivers Marie Gonzales and Marlise Rass. On November 15, a memorial celebration on the Winslow farm honored his legacy as a father, educator and dreamer who lived life on his own terms.

Standing Ovation

If Life Is A Comedy,

The Part That We Play

Is Never As Clear

As It Could Be.

Or Maybe A Drama,

Who Is To Say,

But It Always Turns Out

As It Should Be.

And If I Am A Player

Who’s Played His Part Well,

And Did It With Humor and Grace,

When I Die, Give Me

A Standing Ovation, A Celebration

For A Job Well Done.

No Need To Cry,

It’s Not My Final Destination.

I’ll Be At The Station

When The Train Comes By.