Erma Jean (Hocanson) McCown-

A devout follower of Christ throughout her life, Erma Jean found strength through diligent study of Scripture, solace through prayer, joy through worship, and peace in the promise of eternal life. An active member of Bethlehem Covenant Church (now Pleasant Community Church) for more than 60 years, she participated in women’s Bible study and served in the hospitality ministry, as Sunday School teacher, in youth ministry, as deaconess, and in various leadership offices in Covenant Women. Committed to child evangelism globally, she initiated and led the regional Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child program for more than a decade, packing and gathering hundreds of shoeboxes for children around the world. She also volunteered for the American Cancer Society and led her children’s Cub Scout and Brownie troops in North Warren.

Daughter of the late John A. and Ida (Jacobson) Hocanson, Erma Jean was born on Mar. 9, 1937, in Darlington, PA, and graduated at the top of her class from Beaver Falls High School in 1955. She married her high school sweetheart Gerald (Jerry) D. McCown in 1960, and recently celebrated 65 years of marriage. After spending their first few months of married life in New Castle, PA, they moved to Dayton, OH, and then to Warren, PA, in 1963. Career options for women in the 1950s were limited to teaching, nursing, or secretarial work, but Erma Jean was not interested in teaching and hated blood, so she began her career with Prudential Insurance Company. Over the years, she was subsequently employed by the Morehouse Christian Bookstore, Hagberg’s Christian Bookstore, and the BonTon Department Store Credit Office. Upon retirement, she and Jerry traveled to Yellowstone National Park seasonally for five years, where she worked in the Albright Visitor Center for the Yellowstone Association.

Family and friends will remember Erma Jean for her devotion as wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, her caring spirit, her quick wit and sense of humor, her expressions of love through delicious culinary dishes and treats, her love for her kitties, her beautiful flower gardens, her thoughtful cards of encouragement and celebration, her proud Scandinavian heritage, and her legacy of faith.

In addition to her husband Jerry, Erma Jean is survived by her son Jonathan McCown and wife Nancy (Dillsburg, PA), her daughter Laura Kammel and husband Bob (Yellowstone National Park, WY), grandchildren Drs. Stephen McCown and Courtney Potteiger (Dillsburg, PA), Katherine and Nathan Gale (West Chester, PA), Christina McCown and Ryan Huggins (Burlington, VT), Choteau Kammel, J.D., and wife Melina (Fort Worth, TX), and Natalie Kammel (Omaha, NE), as well as great-granddaughter Juniper Joy Gale and great-grandson on the way. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Raymond and Calvin, and her grandson, Avery Kammel.

The family wishes to thank the many area physicians who treated Erma Jean throughout the years. While mourning her loss deeply, family and friends rejoice in the hope of everlasting life and the knowledge that Erma Jean is now in the arms of her Savior. A celebration of her life will be held at Pleasant Community Church, 673 Pleasant Dr., Warren, PA, on July 25, 2025, at 11 a.m.

In place of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Pleasant Community Church designated toward shipping costs for Operation Christmas Child.

Those wishing to send online condolences may do so by visiting www.petersonblickfuneralhome.com.