John Hill Crowell died October 5 after a long life.  Born January 24, 1925, John was the fourth child in a family of 10 brothers and sisters in central North Carolina.  Because of the Depression, his parents had to become sharecroppers and work the fields around them.  It was hard work and hard conditions, and yet it shaped his personality and instilled in him a determination to rise above his background.

He served in WWII starting in 1945 because his father wouldn't allow John to serve in 1944 because he needed him on the farm, he said.  John saw a new world in the service and stayed in Europe after the war was over helping to secure the peace.  He then came home and with the help of the GI Bill went to High Point College and earned a degree in business and went into sales.  He eventually was hired by a pharmaceutical company and he stayed in that field for the rest of his life as a "detail man" or a manager.  He learned that he was very good at sales and then later as a manager of a team of salesmen and saleswomen.

He married Irene Symons in 1954 and had two children, Tom and Bill.  Irene was a nurse anesthetist and so enjoyed being a mother and wife.  Their marriage took them from West Virginia to North Carolina and Pennsylvania and Nevada and Oklahoma.  One of the great gifts that John and Irene gave their children was a yearly vacation to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  Those 2 week vacations were heaven on earth for 2 little boys enamored with the ocean and riding the waves on a float or just body surfing.  It was a magical time in the early 1960's staying at the Shoreline Inn where 3 meals a day were served as part of your stay - with a bell rung when dinner was served.

Work was both a blessing and a curse because it kept John on the road for most of his career.  He had to miss a lot of events and daily home life, but that was what was required in those days and we made the best of it.  His work provided for the family in great ways and allowed both boys to accomplish much in life.  Tom went on to become an Electrical Engineer and Bill became a United Methodist Minister serving in the Oklahoma Conference.  Sadly, Irene died in 1979 and John remarried in 1981 to Emma Jean Covington while in Oklahoma.  John continued working for a few more years and then retired at age 58 after moving to Tulsa.  He said that was the worst decision he ever made because he wasn't ready to retire and was mostly bored.  He wound up taking other jobs and then volunteered at St. Francis Hospital.  He and Emma Jean attended Boston Avenue United Methodist Church and John trained as a Disciple Bible Study teacher and led a weekly Bible Study for over 30 years.  They would prepare each week for Dr. Mouzon Biggs' sermons and then discuss how Dr. Biggs preached that text.  John and Emma Jean joined the Wesley Sunday School class and loved being a part of their activities.  This included travel to many places around the world.  John was President of the Wesley class at one point and helped the church in other ways when asked to serve on various committees.

Another of the gifts John gave to his family was his love of his family - his brothers and sisters.  John started holding a Family Reunion in Oklahoma City in 1975 and that began a tradition that lasted until 2007.  We travelled to Lake Tahoe and Monterey California and Las Vegas and Williamsburg VA and several Carolina beaches over the years - always eating like kings and queens and enjoying stories of life on the farm and how these 10 brothers and sisters survived together during the Depression years and beyond.

John and Emma Jean lived out their lives at their home on 57th Street and eventually at Methodist Manor (now Trinity Woods) in Tulsa.  John continued reading books on history and religion and some novels.  Emma Jean made sure they stayed connected with the Methodist Manor community, many of whom were from Boston Ave church.  It was a great life for them in their closing years and a lot of gratitude goes out to all of those who cared for both of them.