Cronic, 83, had been in poor health just recently, according to her family, and died Sunday from a lingering illness. The three dealerships will be closed Thursday for the funeral services.
Visitation for Freda Cronic will be held Wednesday, Oct. 10, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Conner-Westbury Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held Thursday, Oct. 11, at 11 a.m. at First Baptist Church of Griffin. Dr. Bruce Morgan and Dr. Bill Hardee will officiate. Interment will follow in Oak Hill Cemetery. Mrs. Cronic will lie-in-state for an hour prior to the services at the church.
A native of Atlanta, Freda Jewell Dillard Cronic, was born on Jan. 29, 1929, the only child of the late Ophelia Martha Chancey and Fred Dillard. She had lived in Griffin since 1975 when she and her late husband, J.A. Cronic moved here and opened Cronic Chevrolet.
The Cronics were married for 56 years before his death in 2003. In addition to helping her husband build one of the largest automotive groups between Atlanta and Macon, Mrs. Cronic was a licensed insurance agent.
She was a graduate of Commercial High School in Atlanta and also a graduate of several schools operated over the years by General Motors for its dealers. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Griffin and the Georgia Automobile Dealers Association. She formerly was a member of the Marie Fort Garden Club and was honorary member of the Iris Charter Chapter of the American Business Women's Association.
In addition to being the bookkeeper for Cronic Chevrolet during its formative years in Griffin, Mrs. Cronic raised two daughters. Wanda and Linda. She loved her family and enjoyed being hostess for family dinners.
One of Mrs. Cronic’s favorite recipes was a gourmet spinach salad with a sweet and sour dressing and was selected to appear in Pure and Simple, the first Neiman Marcus Christmas cookbook, published in 1991. More than 2,000 recipes were submitted before the judges reduced that number to 700 recipes which they prepared and tasted before selecting the ones to be included in the cookbook.
During the observance of Griffin’s 150th anniversary, Mrs. Cronic’s recipe for “Festive Cheese Ball” was included in the Celebration Cookbook. Mrs. Cronic was featured in the Griffin Daily News series “Cook of the Week” on Jan. 13, 1993.
Beyond work and family, one of Mrs. Cronic's greatest pleasures was gardening. She particularly liked working in the beds of her brick-walled patio connected to the sunroom of her home.
Mrs. Cronic is survived by her daughters, Wanda Cronic Howell and her husband, Lee, and Linda Cronic Ridley and her husband, Gary; five grandchildren, Tina Thompson, Nicole Selph, Jessica Howell, Jade Ridley, Destiny Ridley; several cousins and other relatives; and Sissy Carroll, a special friend and devoted caregiver.
Conner-Westbury Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. www.conner-westburyfuneralhome.com.
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