Mary Delores Cruickshank

Mary Delores Jarmon Cruickshank was born May 8, 1940 and returned to be with the Lord Oct. 17, 2025.

Her parents Mary Ella and Benford Jarmon migrated from Alabama to Cleveland, Ohio, and because their doors were always open to those in need, she grew up in a home surrounded by extended family. The oldest of two girls, she attended college at Heidelberg University and pledged Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

In 1969, while she was working as an English teacher in the Cleveland Public Schools, she became one of the editors of a high school English textbook titled “Something Strange.”

She began her career in New York, working first in education and then as a patient advocate in the health care system. She met her husband Roy while she was working in New York and they married Jan. 15, 1984.

Delores to most who knew her and “Dee” or “Lo” to a few close friends and family members was a music lover, avid shopper, passionate advocate for health care and education, football fan (especially the Kansas City Chiefs), game player (especially cards), giver of books, sharer of wisdom, and other mother. These adjectives offer just a small glimpse into a life well lived.

She was a long-time cancer survivor with 13 years of remission which ended in early 2020. She made at least one miraculous recovery during the COVID pandemic under the loving care of her husband Roy and she fought tenaciously since then until she lost that battle on October 17th, 2025.

Although she had no natural children, she loved and doted upon her nieces and nephews and step grandchildren as her own. She had a particularly special bond with her step-granddaughter Trinity.

Delores was a generous benefactor for all children’s causes and inherited her mother’s giving heart, often sending surprise gifts to friends and loved ones. She supported the charities Save the Children and Mercy Ships, and she especially loved giving books to children, hoping to inspire a new generation of young people to love reading as much as she did.

In addition to her parents, Delores was preceded in death by her sister Bennie Jarmon Attaway and niece Tonya Attaway. Left to cherish her memory and carry on her legacy are her devoted husband Royston Cruickshank, stepdaughter Dennise Cruickshank, niece Tasha Attaway, nephew Darrell Attaway, great-niece India Attaway, great-great-niece Amethyst Alexander, granddaughters Trinity and Taylor, cousins Denise Williams and Lesa Isabell, and a host of friends and family who will miss her greatly.