Vernie Faye Wilton Crabtree was a native of Texas. She was born to Charles Joseph Wilton & Lona Parrish Wilton on August 2, 1925 in Jermyn, Texas, a small town near Wichita Falls. She passed away, due to COVID-19, on January 8, 2021 in Dallas, Texas.
At Jermyn High School, Vernie was the head cheerleader, captain of the girls’ basketball team, editor of the high school annual, and salutatorian of a class of 5. She was also voted “Most Beautiful,” an honor she downplayed due to the small number of girls in her class.
Upon moving to Dallas, Vernie attended Business College, began work as a bookkeeper at Gifford-Hill Company, and volunteered as a Nurse’s Aide. On June 9, 1946, after WWII, Vernie married artist Tom Crabtree. She served as the office manager of Crabtree Studio, while raising two children, actively participating in her church, and serving as the leader of her daughter’s Camp Fire Girls group and her son’s Cub Scout pack.
Vernie was involved with church and community groups, such as the League of Women Voters, Church Women United (CWU), United Methodist Women (UMW), Women for Change, Women’s Equity Action League and the National Organization for Women. She also served as Board Vice President of the Lone Star Council of Camp Fire, Inc. Through UMW, Vernie participated in the CC Young Auxiliary, providing programs to the senior residents at CC Young Retirement Center, where Vernie lived during her last 15 years of life.
After the death of her husband, Vernie and her son, Tom, operated the family art business until it was sold. She then went to college. She earned straight A’s while she earned an Associate Degree in Business from Dallas College Eastfield Campus. Upon Vernie’s graduation, her daughter Carol hired her as the bookkeeper for her own law firm. In 1997, this mother-daughter team co-founded the Susan B. Anthony Award Luncheon with the help of the Council on the Status and Role of Women at First United Methodist Church. When attendance outgrew the church, the luncheon program was gifted to the League of Women Voters of Dallas.
In 2007, Vernie managed the registration desk for the International Women’s Peace Conference sponsored by Peacemakers, Inc. in Dallas. In 2010, Vernie was recognized by Gloria Steinem as a “Veteran Feminist of America” for her long-time advocacy for women’s rights.
Vernie is preceded in death by: her parents Charles Joseph Wilton and Lona Blanche Parrish Wilton; her siblings, Vester (& Vera) Wilton, Van (& Catherine) Wilton, Oretha Wilton, Oletha Wilton Little; her half-siblings, Norvell Wilton, C.J. Wilton, Charlene Wilton Jackson, Colleen (& Alton) Gary, and Eugene Wilton; and her youngest grandson Michel Blair Crabtree.
Vernie is survived by: her daughter Carol (& Dan) Donovan, her son Thomas (& Aggie) Crabtree; her grandchildren, Kathleen (& Ken) Coffin and Patrick (& Jessica) Donovan; and her great grandchildren Caroline Grace Coffin and Charlotte Anne Coffin.
A virtual Celebration of Life service will be held at 10:00 am on Friday, January 22, 2021 at Grove Hill Funeral Home. Friends and family are welcome to participate via Livestream on the Grove Hill Funeral Home Facebook Page. In lieu of flowers, people are encouraged to make a donation in Vernie’s memory to the Benevolence Fund of CC Young Retirement Center at 4847 W. Lawther Drive, Suite 100, Dallas, Texas 75214 (214-817-0488).
Below is the link to a Facebook post, and zoom access info for the virtual funeral:
https://www.facebook.com/100003980768501/posts/1937136393095701/?d=n
The zoom link, which is included in the above post, is:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqcOyvrjsrHdWzpCA1L1O4VhVEoV07fPFp
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