Thomas Wesley Crews was born on March 5, 1931 in rural Coatesville, Indiana. Since he would not be able to vote, it's no shock for Tom to choose November 3, 2015, an election day, to leave this earth at the age of 84.
Tom graduated from Amo High School in 1949 where he served as class president during his freshman and junior years and vice president during his senior year. Tom was also a member of the team that represented Amo/Clay Twp./Hendricks County at the 1949 regional basketball tournament.
Tom attended Tri-State College in Angola, Indiana prior to the Korean War. He served in the Air Force from 1950 - 1954. He married Delores June Webber on November 22, 1955 then graduated from Indiana University in 1957.
After college Tom began a lifelong career with the Federal Government in Washington DC. He worked as a budget and program analyst for the National Bureau of Standards from 1957 to 1962. He then worked for the Federal Aviation Administration from 1962 to 1973. He was a policy analyst for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration from 1973 until he retired in 1987.
Even though Tom lived in Silver Springs, Maryland, he had a vision of leaving a legacy for Clay Township through an endowment fund. His idea was presented at the 1995 alumni meeting. The earnings from the fund would be used to provide annual educational grants to township citizens based upon a competitive grant process. The alumni association overwhelmingly endorsed the idea and the endowment fund was legally established in 1996. The Educational Grant committee is functioning and the fruits from Tom's idea are ripening.
Tom served as chairperson for the interreligious concerns program district office of the United Methodist Church. He actively worked with Amnesty International to get religious groups to participate in human rights action projects. He was associated with the work of the Unitarians, the United Church of Christ, the Quakers and many other religious oriented groups. He participated in programs to establish better understanding with the Muslims and has been an advocate for peace and justice issues. Tom most recently attended the Pilgrim Church where he enjoyed sharing his spiritual in-sites with the Bible study group.
Tom supported the earth by participating in the Native Plant Society, Environmental Defense, Nature Conservancy and Friends of Brookside Gardens in Maryland. He enjoyed bird watching from his sun room. There he maintained a log to identify the birds in his area and tracked the number seen. He noted the date of the first sighting and last sightings of migrating birds then reported his findings through the internet.
Tom was preceded in death by his son, Randall Wesley Crews, on August 18, 1995 and his faithful wife, Delores June Weber Crews, on April 9, 2008. Their loving daughter, Diane Elaine Crews, survives.
Tom was also preceded in death by parents, Charles Oakley Crews and Delia Rachel Phillips Crews, as well as his brother, Carl Edison Crews. Carl's wife, Freda Cunningham Crews, survives along with his brother, Paul Allen Crews, twin sisters, Rosemary Irelan and Ruth Olive Butler, plus his younger sister Rachel Ione Bettag.
Though highly regarded by his Amo High School team-mates, Tom was also thoughtful of including his younger sister, Rachel, in attending the basketball games. This same caring attitude was felt by everyone who knew Tom. A memorial service will be held Saturday at 11 am in the funeral home with visitation one hour prior. Inurnment will follow in the Coatesville Cemetery.
