Obituary of Frances Crabtree
Hilton: Mary Frances Barnes Crabtree passed away on Monday, December 9, 2019, at the age of 92. She was predeceased by her parents, Charles and Mary Spurrier Barnes; 2 husbands, Charles Hoy Crabtree and Gordon Crabtree; her sister, Anna Jane Carr; and her brother, James Dolan Barnes.
She is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, Sherry and Mark Miles of Rochester, NY, and two granddaughters, Abbey (Joe) Baldwin and Ashley Miles; a great-granddaughter, Macklyn Baldwin; sisters, Jean Huddleston of Livingston, TN, Genevieve Rice of Bethpage, TN, Sue Moss of Glasgow, KY, Joyce Fields of Berea, KY, Sharon Sparks of Berea, KY, and Wanda Krack of Livingston, TN; her brothers, William Seymour Barnes of Cookeville, TN and John Allen Barnes of Greshem, SC.; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
Frances grew up in Livingston, TN on Mountain Home Farm with her parents and siblings. She was the oldest of eleven children and learned to be a caregiver at an early age. In her autobiography entitled, "Growing Up In An Appalachian Family," she tells about the challenges of growing up during the Depression, the shortage of food at times, and the hard work that was necessary to maintain life. She writes that though they had few material things, she and her siblings enjoyed a happy childhood. Her favorite happy memories included gathering around the fireplace listening to her mother read and sitting, with her siblings, in her daddy's lap in the big old rocking chair while he sang to them.
Education was of primary importance in Frances' family. She started school at Fredonia School, a one room schoolhouse in TN, where she later became a teacher. She attended high school at Livingston Academy, attended Berea College in Berea, KY, received a B.S. Degree from Tennessee Tech in Cookeville, TN and a Master's Degree from East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN. She taught for over 30 years in the Kingsport City School District in Kingsport, TN. She retired from teaching in 1989.
In 1999, Frances moved to Rochester, NY to be with her daughter, son-in-law and her two granddaughters. She said the satisfaction that she felt knowing that her family was nearby more than compensated for the cold weather and snow.
Frances loved God and was a devout Christian. As a child, she attended Fredonia Church in Livingston, TN. She was a long-standing member of First Broad Street United Methodist Church in Kingsport, TN. After moving to Rochester, she joined Aldersgate United Methodist Church and said that she felt this was the church she had been searching for her entire life.
Material things were not important to Frances. She spent her life giving to others without expecting anything in return. She only hoped that those she helped would, in turn, help someone else. She lived by example and made the world a better place.
Family and friends are invited to attend her Memorial Service on Saturday, December 21, 2019 at Aldersgate United Methodist Church at 10 AM, with refreshments following in the fellowship hall.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 4115 Dewey Avenue, Rochester, NY 14616 in her memory. Interment will be at the convenience of the family in Tennessee.
Arrangements entrusted to Thomas E. Burger Funeral Home, Hilton, NY.
