Mary Nell Roberts Crowder, age 99, died Wednesday, January 28 at The Country Cottage in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, where she resided for the past seven years.
Born June 20, 1915 in Parrottsville, Tennessee, Mary Nell would have celebrated her 100 th birthday with great fanfare this summer. She attended Carson Newman College in Jefferson City, Tennessee and received her Permanent Professional Elementary Teachers Certificate on July 7, 1936; she taught elementary school in Cocke County, Tennessee. She later graduated from Takoma Hospital School of Nursing in Greeneville, Tennessee on August 31, 1942. On December 4, 1942, she married Dr. William Oscar Crowder, Jr. Together, they had four sons and one daughter. She worked as a nurse at Lawrence County Hospital, Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, and also part time for her husband for many years. She volunteered countless hours and devoted tireless energy to her church, the American Red Cross, American Cancer Society, the Lawrence County Library, Home Demonstration Club, and other local charities. She was an active member of the Lawrenceburg Seventh Day Adventist Church for 73 years.
Mary Nell: loving daughter, wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, great- grandmother, sister, sister-in-law, aunt, and friend to all. She was a fine cook, excellent gardener, and talented homemaker. She never hesitated to assist those in need whenever and wherever she was needed. Her home and her heart were always open to family and friends, and she welcomed everyone with loving kindness. Her strong faith and her family were the anchors and the loves of her life.
Mary Nell was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. William Oscar Crowder, Jr.; her son, Jon Paul Crowder; her parents, Katherine Harned Roberts and Clarence Peres Roberts; her sisters, Lucille Roberts Hawk and Judith Geraldine Roberts; her brother, Samuel Roberts; and her daughter-in-law, Eyvonne King Crowder.
She will be deeply missed by her friends and by her loving family, including her sons, James Landon Crowder (Sue) of Signal Mountain, Tennessee; Jack Roberts Crowder of Kingsport, Tennessee; and William Joseph Crowder (Maria) of Bethesda, Maryland; and her daughter, Jane Crowder McCullough of Ft. Collins, Colorado; nine grandchildren, Zan Crowder (Karla) of Fuquay Varina, North Carolina; Brantley Crowder of Savannah, Georgia; Lane Crowder (Jason Mirmelstein) of Chattanooga, Tennessee; Raleigh Crowder Harris (Scott) of Asheville, North Carolina; Timothy Crowder (Becca) of Durham, North Carolina; Erin Crowder Lackey (Kip) of Asheville, North Carolina; Melissa Crowder of New Orleans, Louisiana; Emily McCullough of Atlanta, Georgia; and Hallie McCullough Seminon (Vince) of Ft. Collins, Colorado; fourteen great-grandchildren, Harper and Finley Crowder of Fuquay Varina, North Carolina; Lila and Josie Crowder of Savannah, Georgia; Willa and Eli Mirmelstein of Chattanooga, Tennessee; Landon and Maya Harris of Asheville, North Carolina; Hoyt and Audrey Crowder of Durham, North Carolina; Jackson and Cooper Lackey of Asheville, North Carolina; and Caroline and Kate Seminon of Ft. Collins, Colorado; and her many nieces and nephews.
Special thanks to the staff and her friends at The Country Cottage and Unity Hospice for their care and support.
Arrangements are being handled by Neal Funeral Home, 231 N. Military Avenue, Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. The family will receive friends from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM Friday, January 30, 2015 at Neal Funeral Home. Funeral services will be conducted at Neal Funeral Home at 2:00 PM Friday, January 30, 2015, with Lloyd Schomburg officiating. Interment will follow at Lawrence County Memorial Gardens in Lawrenceburg, TN.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, c/o ADRA International, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904, whose mission is to improve the quality of life for those in need and to provide aid to disaster survivors (adra.org), or to your favorite charity.
