Obituary for CHARLES EDMOND CREWS
Charles Edmond Crews, 75, of Columbus, Ohio made his transition on Tuesday, October 20, 2020.
Charles was born June 26, 1945 in Matewan, West Virginia to Eugene and Vernia (Nobleton) Crews. He graduated from Matewan High School in 1964 where he and his brother William led the school to compete as state basketball champions. After graduation, he moved to Columbus, Ohio with a desire to serve his country. He enlisted in the US Army in 1965 and was stationed in Bad Kreuznach, Germany for three (3) years. While in Germany, he met and married Victoria Wilder (former wife) of Pottstown, Pennsylvania who was an Army dependent with her family. They traveled throughout Europe. After his honorable discharge from the Army as a Sergeant in 1968, they returned to Columbus to begin their family. He was employed by Capital City Products (a division of Stokely Van Camp) for over 20 years. He attended Franklin University where he majored in Business Administration. Charles is a graduate of Leadership Columbus, class of 1975. Charles was an avid basketball and football fan. If you got into conversation with him, you soon found out he was a “political junky”. In 2014, after the death of his beloved mother, he began attending the First Church of God where Bishop Timothy J. Clarke serves as Senior Pastor. He dearly loved his three (3) children, seven (7) grandchildren, one (1) brother and five (5) sisters
Charles is preceded in death by his parents, Eugene and Vernia Crews, sister, Norscitrita Green and niece, Mickei Lynn Crews.
Charles leaves the following loved ones to cherish his memories: his children, daughter, Christina (DeEarnest) McLemore of Columbus; son, Charles Christopher (Stacey) Crews of Canton, Michigan; daughter, Kara (DuiJi) Mshinda of Yeadon, Pennsylvania; grandchildren: Whitney Crews, Sydnee Crews, Amani Crews, Kristin Crews, Taylor Crews, Dahra Mshinda, and Jaden Crews. He also leaves sister, Mildred Spence of Bronx, New York; sister, Priscilla Caballero of Bronx, New York; brother, William Crews, of Columbus; sister Carolyn J. Crews, of Columbus; sister, Brenda (Claude) Peak, of Columbus; and sister, Janice Dearing of Buffalo, New York. Friend, Thomas “Doc” Simpson; Sammetta Williams and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at First Church of God 3480 Refugee Rd. Columbus, OH 43232. Visitation 11:00 a.m. Private Family Service at 12:00 p.m.
“…it is the first duty of every American citizen, whose conscience permits so to do, to use his political as well as his moral power.” -Frederick Douglass, 1848
Our dad firmly believed that every person, particularly African Americans, must understand the power and influence of politics in our country. He immersed himself in this belief and often invited engaging, and at times intense, political discussions. He was such an inspiration to the idea that your voice mattered.
With that in mind, our family respectfully requests that in lieu of flowers and other heartfelt contributions that you consider donating to the NAACP https://www.naacp.org who champion and support important legislation such as the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of 2020.
Charles was born June 26, 1945 in Matewan, West Virginia to Eugene and Vernia (Nobleton) Crews. He graduated from Matewan High School in 1964 where he and his brother William led the school to compete as state basketball champions. After graduation, he moved to Columbus, Ohio with a desire to serve his country. He enlisted in the US Army in 1965 and was stationed in Bad Kreuznach, Germany for three (3) years. While in Germany, he met and married Victoria Wilder (former wife) of Pottstown, Pennsylvania who was an Army dependent with her family. They traveled throughout Europe. After his honorable discharge from the Army as a Sergeant in 1968, they returned to Columbus to begin their family. He was employed by Capital City Products (a division of Stokely Van Camp) for over 20 years. He attended Franklin University where he majored in Business Administration. Charles is a graduate of Leadership Columbus, class of 1975. Charles was an avid basketball and football fan. If you got into conversation with him, you soon found out he was a “political junky”. In 2014, after the death of his beloved mother, he began attending the First Church of God where Bishop Timothy J. Clarke serves as Senior Pastor. He dearly loved his three (3) children, seven (7) grandchildren, one (1) brother and five (5) sisters
Charles is preceded in death by his parents, Eugene and Vernia Crews, sister, Norscitrita Green and niece, Mickei Lynn Crews.
Charles leaves the following loved ones to cherish his memories: his children, daughter, Christina (DeEarnest) McLemore of Columbus; son, Charles Christopher (Stacey) Crews of Canton, Michigan; daughter, Kara (DuiJi) Mshinda of Yeadon, Pennsylvania; grandchildren: Whitney Crews, Sydnee Crews, Amani Crews, Kristin Crews, Taylor Crews, Dahra Mshinda, and Jaden Crews. He also leaves sister, Mildred Spence of Bronx, New York; sister, Priscilla Caballero of Bronx, New York; brother, William Crews, of Columbus; sister Carolyn J. Crews, of Columbus; sister, Brenda (Claude) Peak, of Columbus; and sister, Janice Dearing of Buffalo, New York. Friend, Thomas “Doc” Simpson; Sammetta Williams and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at First Church of God 3480 Refugee Rd. Columbus, OH 43232. Visitation 11:00 a.m. Private Family Service at 12:00 p.m.
“…it is the first duty of every American citizen, whose conscience permits so to do, to use his political as well as his moral power.” -Frederick Douglass, 1848
Our dad firmly believed that every person, particularly African Americans, must understand the power and influence of politics in our country. He immersed himself in this belief and often invited engaging, and at times intense, political discussions. He was such an inspiration to the idea that your voice mattered.
With that in mind, our family respectfully requests that in lieu of flowers and other heartfelt contributions that you consider donating to the NAACP https://www.naacp.org who champion and support important legislation such as the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of 2020.