Charles Edwin Crum's Obituary
Charles Edwin Crum died February 6, 2019. He was born on August 5, 1932 in Crockett County Tennessee to Lela Jones Crum and Albert Lee Crum. He was the sixth child of seven and was preceded in death by all siblings. His father left Tennessee when Charlie was three years old and never returned, dying in 1940 in Texas.Charlie was raised in Crockett and Dyer counties in Tennessee by his mother and step-father, Marshall Reed, on a succession of farms working as a sharecropper. Charlie left Tennessee at 16 and moved to Dallas, was there one year and moved to Wayne, Michigan for a year. He returned to Memphis and was employed with J. Strickland & Company, first as a production cost clerk and progressed over the next 45 years as credit manager, purchasing agent with the last 38 as personnel director. He retired in 1997,In Memphis, he became reacquainted with an elementary school mate Bitsy York. They were married in 1953 and spent the rest of their lives together. Charlie often said that Bitsy was a gift from heaven. Their marriage produced two children, Amy Crum and Missy Johnson (Alan). Charlie and Bitsy were very proud of their daughters’ accomplishments. They were very proud of their two grandchildren, Katherine Fink Wohl (Adam) and Garrett Fink and their successful careers. Visitation will be held on Friday, February 8, in the sanctuary at Emmanuel United Methodist Church from 5:30-7:30 pm. The funeral service will be held on Saturday, February 9 at 11:00 am in the sanctuary at Emmanuel United Methodist Church, 2404 Kirby Road, Memphis, TN 38119.
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