James Milton Crowson

James Milton Crowson was born March 15, 1930, in the community of Toccopola, Pontotoc County, Mississippi. He was the son of James Homer Crowson and Pearl Westmoreland Crowson. On April 9, 1949, he married Martha Frederick, whose father Joe Cephas Frederick pastored the church the Crowson family had begun to attend. James died peacefully in his sleep on June 6, 2016, at the age of 86. A history buff, he would have appreciated the significance of passing away on the day of the WWII Allied invasion of Normandy, known as D-Day.

In 1955 he moved his young family to Nashville, TN, where he began his B.A. program at Welch College (known then as Free Will Baptist Bible College). He managed to keep up a full academic load, and support a family, all while working as a tool and die maker, usually the night shift. Following graduation in 1960, he began studies for his M.A. at Bob Jones University. He completed his degree after having served as pastor to churches in South Carolina, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Russellville, Alabama. In 1968 he moved back to Nashville to join the faculty of Welch College. It was not, however, his first experience as a Welch College instructor. In his senior year, he had been asked to step in temporarily to teach beginning Greek for the normal professor, Dr. Robert Picirilli, who was continuing his own studies at the time!

Later, he worked again as a tool and die maker, wall paper tradesman, as well as a condo/apartment property manager.

Milton Crowson loved God, the Bible, his wife, his family, history, gardening, and fishing — usually in that order (though history and fishing often tried to move higher up the list!)

He is survived by: wife Martha Crowson; son Allan Crowson (LaRue); daughter Susan Turnbough (Jeff); son Jeff Crowson; Eight grandchildren Tim Crowson (Katrina), Bethany Brummitt (Jared), Natalie Crowson, Matthew Turnbough (Brooke), Melissa Mandy (Mason), Heather Milbrandt (James), Jonathan Crowson, Garrett Crowson; and ten great grandchildren: Juliette, Silas, and Olivia Crowson; Andrew, Caroline, and Daniel Turnbough; Liam and Sofia Mandy; Lillian and Ellison Milbrandt; sisters Pat Crowson White and Doris Crowson Schumpert; brother-in-law Mack Frederick (Lilly). He also leaves behind numerous nieces and nephews, friends, former students, church members, and co-workers, who remember him fondly and will miss him dearly.

Visitation Thursday June 9th, Cross Timbers Freewill Baptist Church 201 Cross Timbers Drive, Nashville from Twelve O’ Clock noon until two o’clock in the afternoon, Funeral to begin at two o’clock in the afternoon also at Church, Entombment will be private.

Arrangements under the direction of Woodlawn-Roesch-Patton Funeral Home & Me, Nashville, TN.