Gone to be with Thee

                                      Dean Wenzil Crow
Dean Crow was the son of Wenzil & Ruby Crow and one of 52 Grandchildren of Grover and Rosie Crow. He was a member of the Dexter's Mason Lodge and an active member of the farming community.  He married Shirley Mae King on December 9, 1960 and they had four children: Deana, Craig, Kirk and Brad. After retiring from the farm he spent his remaining years touring America in his RV.
He will be greatly missed.

                                                     Clara Lee Crow
Clara Crow was born on September 13, 1931 in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. Shortly after birth her family moved to Malden and lived near the air base. She met Dad while in school in Bernie and graduated a year behind him. They were married on July 4th 1952 while Dad was on leave from the Navy. She had two son's Bruce and Scott.

                                         Elizabeth "Betty" Crow Knoble

Elizabeth “Betty” Crow Knoble, 89, of Rector, AR, retired schoolteacher, librarian and former co-publisher of the Clay County Democrat, died November 14, 2007 following a brief illness.  She was born on November 16, 1917, in Centralia, Illinois to Clifford O. Crow and Bertha Bundy Crow.

 

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a son, Mark; her first husband, Wendell Hiram Crow; and a brother, Charles N. Crow.

 

Betty Crow Knoble moved to Rector in 1954 with her husband and four children after they bought the Rector weekly Clay County Democrat, which they built into a successful community enterprise.  The Clay County Democrat won numerous awards for community service, news coverage and editorial writing during their ownership from 1954 to 1976.  

 

Betty Knoble is survived by Kenneth Knoble, her husband of twenty years, of Rector; a sister-in-law, Alice Crow of Ellejay, GA; sons Charles T. Crow (Anne) of Little Rock and Wendell C. Crow (Jane) of Anaheim, CA; and a daughter, Cathy Crow Henderson (Scott), of Greers Ferry; and a stepson, Mike Knoble (Karen) of Wisconsin Dells, WI. 

 

Grandchildren are Elizabeth Crow Mowery (Joe) of Little Rock; Suzanne J. Crow (Jim Moske) of New York City, NY; Karen Henderson Fleischmann (Chris) of Memphis, TN; Mark Henderson of Little Rock, Amy Crow Gardea (Roman) of Whittier, CA; and Christopher Mark Crow (Shelly) of Capistrano Beach, CA; and step-grandchildren Michael and Michelle Knoble of Wisconsin.  Great-grandchildren are Sarah and Katie Mowery, Alex Miles, Blake and Ian Fleischmann, Nina and Wendell Moske, and Olivia and Violet Gardea.

 

“Miss Betty” was known for her radiant smile, a clear alto singing voice, a cheerful personality, her deep love of children, and a non-judgmental acceptance of everyone she met.  Modest and caring, she disliked gossip and chose to speak only positively of those she knew.  Betty was a determined, resourceful woman who successfully overcame the burden of simultaneously juggling the jobs of raising four children, assisting in publishing a weekly newspaper and finishing a college degree. 

 

Elizabeth Florence Crow grew up in the Great Depression in the Midwest, and met and married Wendell H. Crow (no relation) while attending the University of Missouri, following him through World War II, ownership of newspapers in Thermopolis, WY and Siloam Springs, AR before moving to Clay County.  Rector's warm and friendly small-town atmosphere offered her stability, strength and comfort throughout the succeeding 53 years.

 

She began her pursuit of a college education in the late 1930’s, attending colleges in Iowa, Columbia, MO, Cape Girardeau, MO, and finally Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, graduating with top academic honors in 1961.  In between her daily 90-mile commuting round trips to school, she sold newspaper ads, kept books, wrote stories and helped put out the paper, still finding time to fix dinner for her family and keep a straight-A average.

 

After receiving her degree, Betty taught English and later became librarian in the Marmaduke (AR) school system, retiring when she and her husband sold the newspaper.  She was noted for challenging her pupils to think for themselves and to pursue their creative interests.  On one occasion, after a tornado touched down on a field in clear view of the school, she asked her students to write poems about what they had witnessed.

 

She took great pleasure from traveling and sightseeing around the United States, especially enjoying winters in Arcadia, Florida, where her parents had lived.  Four years following Wendell’s death in 1984, she met Kenneth Knoble, formerly of Wisconsin, in Arcadia, and they were married soon thereafter.  They divided their time between Arkansas, Wisconsin and Florida for the next two decades.

 

While she was known variously as a teacher, librarian, and newspaperwoman, Betty’s most treasured titles related to her maternal roles—“Mom,” Granny,” “Grandma” and “GG.”  No matter how gray the day or how sore her back, a sure-fire way to bring a smile to Betty’s face was to bring a grandchild to visit.