Deborah Cannon Crump

Deborah Cannon Crump, R.N., wife of James Grace Crump, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, the 5th of December 2012. A resident of Houston, Texas, Deborah was born in Birmingham, England on the 7th of August 1950. She is survived by her husband of almost 36 years, James Crump; her sons, Joseph Cannon Crump and Richard Squire Crump; her father, James Cannon; and her brothers, Nicholas, Timothy and Nigel Cannon.

Deborah served as School Nurse at River Oaks Baptist School (R.O.B.S.). A dedicated and compassionate nurse, Deborah spent the last 14 years as a cherished member of the River Oaks Baptist School community. She loved and cared for its many students, their parents, and her colleagues, and they trusted, admired, and loved her in return. She was a nurturer as well as a nurse, and this created a special bond between Deborah and the children she served.

Deborah received nursing training at the Queen Elizabeth School of Nursing in Birmingham, England. After serving as a member of the nursing staff of Birmingham General Hospital, she moved to the United States in 1971 to serve as a registered nurse at Harris Hospital, Fort Worth, Texas, and later as a member of the staff of the Fondren Intensive Care Unit, Methodist Hospital, Houston. Her continuing career included positions in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Moorestown, New Jersey. Deborah served as a Clinical Instructor at Baton Rouge General Hospital. Her dedication to the nursing profession, scientific knowledge of medicine, and leadership skills provided a model to all those with whom she worked. Her knowledge of nursing was surpassed only by her depth of caring for her patients and students.

Deborah was a member of Christ Church Cathedral, Houston. She brought to her religious life deep knowledge of the Anglican tradition based on her upbringing in the Church of England. She loved the King James translation of the Bible, the 1928 Anglican Prayer Book, and Anglican hymns in their original form.

Deborah was a distance runner. She joined Houston Fit in 2002 and ran the Houston Marathon in 2003, followed by eight marathons including Houston, Big Sur, Couer d'Alene, Little Rock, and Chicago. She ran innumerable "halfs" and shorter races. As a beloved Houston Fit coach and member of the running community, Deborah befriended many runners and walkers as she helped them to reach their marathon goals. She generously shared her passion for life, her nursing advice and her insightful wisdom with many grateful runners and walkers who count her as a treasured friend. She will be greatly missed in the running community for her warmth, her wit, and her ability to help others, particularly her husband, laugh during long training runs.

Deborah's greatest joy in life was her family. She loved her role as a wife, mother, daughter, and sister within a family that spanned two continents. She loved greatly and was greatly loved - by family, friends, co-workers and the countless children whose lives she touched.

Friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family from five o'clock in the afternoon until eight o'clock in the evening on Friday, the 14th of December, in the library and grand foyer of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston.

The funeral service is to be conducted at noon on Saturday, the 15th of December, at The Church of St. John the Divine, 2450 River Oaks Boulevard in Houston, where the Rev. Dr. Laurens A. Hall, Rector, the Rev. Dr. Douglas W. Richnow, Senior Associate Rector, and the Rev. Canon James M. L. Grace, of Christ Church Cathedral, are to officiate. Immediately following, all are invited to greet the family during a reception in the adjacent Sumners Hall.

In lieu of customary remembrances, and for those desiring, contributions honoring Deborah may be directed to Houston Rescue and Restore Coalition, P.O. Box 541184, Houston, TX, 77254, www.houstonrr.org (an organization dedicated to the prevention of human trafficking); and/or to BEAResource, P.O. Box 27701-501, Houston, TX, 77227, www.bearesourcehouston.org (an organization dedicated to the care and protection of children).