Gilbert Crutchfield

The graveside service for Gilbert Crutchfield, 90, of Decatur, will be at noon today at Limestone Memorial Gardens with Eddie Gooch officiating. Visitation will be from 10-11:30 a.m. today at McConnell Funeral Home.

Mr. Crutchfield died Wednesday, April 13, 2011, at home.

Gil was born in Trinity in 1920, to Joe and Zola Crutchfield. He lived in Decatur and later Tanner, where he worked at Tootsie Leonard's Grocery Store, where he met his future wife, Maye.

Gil enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1938 when he was 17 and was stationed at Schofield Barracks when the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred. Surviving the horror of that day, Gil spent the next three years of the war in service with the infantry as part of the Pacific Campaign and fought at Guadalcanal.

In 1944 he was sent to a military hospital to recover from illness and injury where, from his bed, he proposed to his love, Maye who had come to be at his bedside. They were married in 1944, settled in Birmingham and were blessed with a daughter, Carolyn in 1946. After serving in the Korean Conflict, Gil returned to the states and served as a recruiter and training officer until he retired in 1958 with 21 years of service to his country.

In 1958 he moved with his wife and daughter to Bradenton, Fla., where he worked for the U.S. Post Office and as a reserve deputy sheriff for the Manatee County Sheriff’s Department. Carolyn married in 1966 and gave birth to Gil's only grandchild, Kelly, in 1967. By 1970 he could no longer bear to be a whole country away from his only child and grandchild so he and Maye moved to Lawndale, Calif., to be nearer to them. In California, he was proud to serve as the city of Lawndale's first community service officer until he retired again in 1982.

Nearly 40 years after moving away, Gil and Maye moved back home, to Tanner. Frequently visited in Tanner by his daughter, granddaughter and two great-grandchildren, Gil enjoyed retirement in Tanner. He was a frequent face and strong supporter at all of the Tanner High School athletic events. He was instrumental in establishing the Tanner Volunteer Fire Department to serve the residents of the community he loved so dearly. Gil volunteered for everything, never said "no" and was like a father, brother and grandfather to many dear friends. He was a lifetime member and supporter of Tanner United Methodist Church where he and Maye were married.

The family of Gil would like to offer a special thank you to Dr. Glenn Wishon of Torrance, Calif., and Dr. Steve Chandler of Decatur who together provided nearly 40 years of tender, careful and loving care, which we are certain was instrumental in enabling Gil to enjoy his family and friends whom he loved dearly, unconditionally and eternally.

Gil is survived by his loving wife of 68 years, Maye Crutchfield, his daughter, Carolyn Jeffers and her husband Harold Jeffers of Torrance Calif.; his granddaughter, Kelly Odgers and her two children, Madeline and Joe of Los Angeles; his beloved brother-in-law and sister in-law, Robert Kelly Jr. and Agnes Kelly of Tanner; his nieces, Leigh Anne Echols of Baton Rouge, La., Dana Bailey of Birmingham, and Brenda Hill and her husband Arnold Hill of Decatur; and his nephew, Mark Sparkman of Arlington, Va.

He was preceded in death by his sister, Bettye Sims of Decatur, and his parents, Joseph and Zola Crutchfield.

Pallbearers will be Derrick Gatlin, Marty, Eddie Raiden, Arnold Hill, Ronnie Sims and Richard Baldwin.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Tanner United Methodist Church.

You may sign the online guestbook at http://www.mcconnellfuneral.com.