Peggy Crabtree

Mrs. Peggy Crabtree, of Gadsden, passed away Monday, August 24, 2014. The funeral service will be held at 2:00, Wednesday, August 26, 2015 at the First United Methodist Church of Gadsden. Reverend Harvey Beck and Ken Casey will officiate. The burial will be at Forrest Cemetery. The family will begin to accept friends at 12:30 PM prior to the service. Collier- Butler Funeral and Cremation Services directing.

Mrs. Crabtree was born in Montgomery, AL. She graduated from Gadsden High School in 1954. She attended Brenau University, Gainsville, Georgia and was a member of Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority. She graduated from Jacksonville State University with a B.S. degree in Music Education, Elementary and Secondary levels. She also worked on her graduate degree at the University of Alabama.

Mrs. Crabtree taught private piano lessons for 25 years and taught for 17 years in the Gadsden City School system as an instructor of General Music, Choral, and String Orchestra. While teaching middle school strings, she was instrumental in setting up an honors string orchestra program. Each year an outstanding string orchestra student is chosen to receive a special award given in Mrs. Crabtree’s name. She retired from teaching in 1996.

Mrs. Crabtree was very active in the First United Methodist Church. She joined the church in 1947 and was a 3rd generation member of the Chancel Choir.

She was a member of The Gadsden Service Guild, and a past president of the Antiquarian Society. She was a member of The Gadsden Music Club, which is a member of The National Federation of Music Clubs. She served for over 20 years as a Board Member of the Gadsden Symphony Orchestra. She was a member of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, an honor society of key women educators.

Mrs. Crabtree was an active member of many social and community organizations and was a charter member of the Bal D’Or dance club.

She loved to play Mah Jongg with her friends each week and enjoyed participating in her book club. She loved travelling with her husband, Bob; and one of their favorite places to visit was Calloway Gardens.

Mrs. Crabtree was preceded in death by her husband, Robert W. Crabtree, Jr.; father, Nelson H. Thomas; mother, Virginia R. Thomas; and infant daughter, Amelia Dorothy Todd.

She is survived by her children, Margaret (Michael) Todd Webster, Susan (Ray) Todd Roberts, Robert (Beverly) W. Crabtree III, Colby (Robert) Crabtree Marrow; grandchildren, Kelsey and Kaley Webster, Anastacia (Freddy) Wetzel Schwenk, Kristen (William) West, and Erin, Alison, and Bobby Crabtree.

Pallbearers are Gordon DeMasi, Dr. Larry Grimes, Dr. Alan Loveman, Howard Malone, Cliff McClinton, Robert McElroy, and Judge William Rhea.

Honorary pallbearers are Brian Ayers and Bud Wadsworth.

In lieu of flowers, memorial may be made to the First United Methodist Church of Gadsden and the Etowah County Humane Society, 4200 Brook Ave., Gadsden, AL 35904.

Special thanks to all of her friends and caregivers that have helped in so many ways.

Online condolences may be made at www.collier-butler.com. "