Bruce Alton Crill's Obituary
Rev. Bruce Alton Crill, Jr., 98, passed away from natural causes on June 7, 2014. A resident of Kirby Pines Estates on Kirby Rd.; he was born in Forest City, Arkansas on December 24, 1915. He grew up in Memphis, where he attended Central High School lettering in football and track. Later he received a BA degree from Southwestern (Rhodes) University, where he was a member of Kappa Alpha Order and was on the varsity track and debate teams. After graduation, he attended Vanderbilt University School of Divinity in Nashville, where he earned his BD degree. Several years later, he was presented a Doctor of Divinity honorary degree from Burton College in Colorado. After graduation from Vanderbilt, Bruce married Nora May Moore in August of 1943. Shortly thereafter, he enlisted in the United States Army, as a field Chaplain, where he saw front line non-combatant action, with Patton’s 3rd Army Corp, during “The Battle of the Bulge”. At the conclusion of this historic battle, he assisted other chaplains in officiating over the burials of approximately 5,000 soldiers killed in action, on land donated by the Country of Luxembourg for an American National Military Cemetery. He returned to the United States following VE Day and was assigned as head post chaplain at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. Rev. Crill was best known for the years he was a minister in the Methodist Memphis Conference serving seven churches in Memphis, most notably Colonial Park; Schoolfield; and organizing St. Matthews, where he organized the building of the first church campus on a vacant cotton field. He also served eight various other churches in West Tennessee, notably 1st Methodist McKenzie and 1st Methodist in Dyersburg, as well as Bellevue Church in Nashville; in addition to three churches in Western Kentucky, most notably 1st Methodist in Mayfield. He was seceded in death by his devoted wife, Nora May;; and is survived by a loving family of his two children Ken A Crill and wife, Myra Ferguson in Oxford, MS; Judi Crill and husband, Marvin Belote in Bartlett, TN; five grandchildren, Cindy Crill and husband, Kevin Brewer; Cathy Crill and deceased husband, Clarence Herrington; Wes Belote; Nick Belote; and Mardi Belote; three great-grandchildren Benjamin and George Brewer, and Clara Herrington all of whom live in Memphis and the surrounding area. He also had three living nephews, five nieces, and their respective children. His funeral will be held at Memphis Memorial Park Chapel on Thursday June 12, 2014 at 2:30 PM preceded by Visitation at 1:30 PM, burial, with military honors, will be held following the service in Memorial Park on Poplar Ave. The family has requested in lieu of flowers for donations to be made to the charity of their choice in the memory of Rev. Bruce A. Crill, Jr.Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Memorial Park Funeral Home and Cemetery, 5668 Poplar Ave. Memphis, TN 38119, 901-767-8930, “Behind the Stone Wall”.
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