Jean Cryor
1938-2009
Rest in Peace

A funeral mass will be held on Monday November 9 at 11:00 a.m. at Saint Raphael's Catholic Church, Falls and Dunster Roads, Rockville - more details below

Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at St. Raphael''s Catholic Church, Falls and Dunster Roads, Rockville, MD on Monday, November 9 at 11 a.m. Interment private. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Society of the Sacred Heart Retirement Fund, 4389 West Pine Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63108. Please view and sign family guestbook at

www.pumphreyfuneralhome.com

Remembrances and words of mourning for the loss of Jean Cryor are numerous. Several can be read below.

I was saddened to learn today of former delegate Jean Cryor's  passing. Jean was known in Annapolis and in Montgomery County for her warm smile, cheerful outlook, and independent thinking. At every step in her career - the newsroom, the state house, the planning board - she served with professionalism and a deep appreciation for the people of Maryland. My prayers are with her family during this difficult time.
-- Former Governor Bob Ehrlich 

With her keen intellect, journalistic skill, work ethic, warm personality and sense of humor, Jean Cryor had a host of friends and admirers - Republicans and Democrats throughout our county and state.

Jean Cryor will be deeply missed, but she will live on in love. She was a "people" person: she cared about others; she respected others; she listened to others; she learned from others; she led for all of us. As a journalist, a legislator, a a Planning Board Member, a mother,and a friend,Jean left a legacy of public service, integrity, and civility.May her family find strength in her inspiration. --

In addition to being an exceptionally skilled legislator and problem solver, she was an excellent listener with a wonderful generosity of spirit and sense of humor.  Jean was deeply devoted to addressing the needs and concerns of all of her constituents. All who had the privilege of knowing her will greatly miss her.  -- Mark Uncapher, Chairman of the Montgomery County Republican Party

Jean Cryor was an extraordinary person. I was honored to know her as a friend and colleague. Jean's commitment to our community was steadfast. Her distinction as a public official will be long remembered.  Before and after her public service Jean served our county and state with skill and grace.  She was always accessible and forthcoming, possessing a keen mind tempered with a healthy sense of humor.  Jean and I struggled together side by side throughout the years. She could always be counted on for sound advice and wise counsel.  I will miss her greatly.  - Howie Denis, County Council Member 2000-2007, Potomac

Her absence will be deeply felt in many ways and in many communities.  We mourn her loss and extend our deepest condolences to her family, her friends, and her colleagues on the Planning Board. -- Ike Leggett, County Executive

Math test scores must not be improving in Annapolis or Chicago, judging from the recent press releases trumpeting the Stimulus Package's so called success in "creating or saving" jobs.   Without any comment or analysis, a week ago the Gazette reported Obama-O'Malley's  party line with the headline: Stimulus Sparks Good New for Job Growth 

This week came the harsh reality: a record 10.2% national unemployment rate.

• Creation of a government-run health plan that experts say would result in up to 114 million Americans losing their current coverage-a clear violation of any pledge to allow individuals to keep their current health plan;
• Nearly half a trillion dollars in tax increases on certain income filers, a majority of whom are small businesses-and $729.5 billion in tax increases overall;
• Insurance regulations that would raise costs for nearly all Americans, particularly young Americans, and confine choice of plans to those approved by a board of bureaucrats;
• New price controls on health insurance companies that provide perverse incentives to keep individuals sick rather than managing chronic disease, while impeding patient access to important services just because those services do not provide a direct clinical benefit;
• Additional federal mandates that would significantly erode the flexibility currently provided to employers-and could result in firms dropping coverage;
• Massive expansion of Medicaid to all individuals with incomes below 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Level ($33,075 for a family of four), replacing the existing private health coverage of millions with taxpayer-funded health care-and imposing tens of billions of dollars in new unfunded mandates on States;
• Denial of health plan choice to 15 million Americans, consigning them instead to a Medicaid program riddled with bureaucratic obstacles and poor access to care, such that its own beneficiaries do not consider it "real insurance;"
• Language opening employers operating group health plans to State law remedies and private causes of action-subjecting employers to review by 50 different State court rulings, thereby raising costs and encouraging more employers to drop their current health plans;
• Liability "reforms" intended to ensure trial lawyers do not have their compensation reduced, rather than meaningful changes that would reduce the cost of health care by eliminating wasteful defensive medicine practices;
• Establishment of a bureaucrat-run health Exchange that would abolish the private market for individual insurance outside the Exchange-and could evolve into a single-payer approach due to the Exchange's ability to cannibalize existing employer plans;
• Creation of a new government board, the "Health Benefits Advisory Committee," that would empower federal bureaucrats to impose new mandates on individuals and insurance carriers;
• Taxation of individuals who do not purchase a level of health coverage that meets the diktats of a board of bureaucrats-including those who cannot afford the coverage options provided;
• New, job-killing taxes-$135 billion worth-on employers who cannot afford to provide their workers health insurance, resulting in up to 5.5 million lost jobs, according to a model developed by President Obama's chief economic advisor;
• Penalties as high as $500,000 on employers who make honest mistakes when filing paperwork with the government health board-which would likely dissuade businesses from continuing to provide coverage, increasing enrollment in the bureaucrat-run Exchange;
• "Low-income" health insurance subsidies to a family of four making up to $88,200;
• Arbitrary and harmful cuts to popular Medicare Advantage plans that would result in millions of seniors losing their current health coverage; and
• Expanded price controls on pharmaceutical products that would discourage companies from producing life-saving breakthrough treatments.