Heard Crouch

Funeral Services will be held at 3 PM Tuesday, April 1, 2014 in the chapel of Hampton Vaughan Funeral Home with Howard Chapman officiating. Visitation will be from 6-7 in the evening on Monday, March 31, 2014 at the funeral home. Private interment will follow the service.

Heard was born June 16, 1925 in Goree, Texas to George and Annie (Proffitt) Crouch. He graduated from Goree High School and Southwestern Business University in Houston, Texas and was with the IRS in Galveston, Texas before coming to Wichita Falls in 1952. At one time he was a member of the Elks and the Optimist Club. Heard started his accounting career in 1952 with Parker Brothers which merged with Shop Rite Foods (Piggly Wiggly) in 1963 where he was Chairman of the Board for 5-6 years. He started a private CPA practice in 1964 and retired turning over the practice to his son Gary. Heard also owned several real estate properties in the North Texas area. Along with friend Floyd Styles, he opened The Branding Iron and used many family recipes. He loved to fish and go to his cabin at lake Kemp since the early 1950’s. Every Monday thru Friday, he met his men friends for a friendly game of gin rummy and one Shiner Bock at his service station named “LLyod Rubys Playhouse”. These men were very special to Heard and will be his honorary pallbeares – David Goforth, Howard Guffey, Don Hatcher Rex and Jay Armstrong, Reno Gustafson, Melvin Anderson, Ed McAlviane, Joe Golding and Jim Crouch. Heard played fast pitch softball, worked in a bullet factory in Houston, spent 21 months in the hospital with TB as a young man. He also spent several years sponsoring and coaching The Cobra’s, a YMCA baseball team. He loved to watch basketball and baseball on TV and went many times to the Astro Dome to watch his second favorite team, the Astros. His favorite saying to his kids when leaving the house when they would ask, “where are you going” was “I’m going up the river to sell sacks”. They still don’t know what that means.

Heard is preceded in death by his parents, sisters; Billie Joe Yates and Leone Latham, brothers; Jack Donald and George Jr.

He is survived by wife of 61 years, Nena Grace Crouch of the home, three children; Gary and wife Jan Crouch, Kathryn (Kay) and husband Charles Rasberry all of Wichita Falls, Gisele and husband Ali Moradi of Arlington, Texas, four grandchildren; Jennifer Thomas and Chris Dawson both of Wichita Falls, Carter Crouch of Kingsville, Texas and Clayton Crouch of Fayetville AR., brother Jim Crouch and sister Katherine Cox both of Wichita Falls. 6 great grand-children all of Wichita Falls, Steffen and Jade Thomas, Kodi, Caitlin, Paisley and Ella Dawson.

Palbearers will be Chris Dawson, Carter and Clayton Crouch, Steffen Thomas and Luke Grizzaffi.