Dora S. Crudele died at home Sunday morning, September 29, 2019, in Tupelo, MS, after an extended illness. She was 74 years old.
Dora’s parents, Henry and Hazel Schultz, moved to Tupelo soon after Dora’s birth on August 17, 1945. Dora attended Tupelo public schools and graduated from Tupelo High School in 1963, where she was a feature twirler for the band. She also played flute under the direction of her father, who was the band director at the time. She attended Louisiana Tech and Memphis State (now University of Memphis) where she majored in Music Education.
Dora met the love of her life, Marcel F. Crudele, at St. James Catholic Church, and they were married there in 1968. She was a homemaker (in her words, a “domestic engineer”) and they had 2 children: Melissa A. Crudele of Tupelo, MS, and Marcel “Marc” Crudele, Jr. of Atlanta, GA. Dora was a loving, devoted mother, an amazing cook, cake decorator, and took great interest in planning parties. She was a seasonal tax preparer.
When the young family moved to Van Buren, MO, in the 1971, Dora was the church organist and led the choir at St. George Catholic Church. The family returned to Tupelo in 1979 and Dora sang in the choir at St. James for several years.
She is survived by her husband Marcel F. Crudele; her son Marc Crudele, daughter Melissa Crudele, and her grandchildren: Jack Burt, a junior at Ole Miss, and Jaden Anne Burt, a junior at Tupelo High School. She loved her grandchildren dearly.
Visitation will be at St. James Catholic Church on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019 from 5 – 7 p.m. and Wednesday morning at the church from 10 to 11 a.m. with Mass of the Resurrection at 11 a.m. Burial will be at St. Thomas Cemetery in Saltillo. Holland Funeral Directors is honored to serve their friends.
Pallbearers will be members of the Knights of Columbus. Honorary pallbearers will be Lawrence and Carl Renfroe.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to the G. Henry Schultz Scholarship Fund through the CREATE Foundation, PO Box 1053, Tupelo, MS 38802.
