John H. Crabtree, Jr. died June 26, 2019 at his home in The Woodlands in Greenville, SC. Dr. Crabtree was born November 11, 1925 in Raleigh, NC, the son of John H. Crabtree and Ruth Jones Crabtree. He was predeceased by a brother, William O. Crabtree. For 68 years, he was married to the love of his life, Anne Brown Crabtree, who died in 2017.
Dr. Crabtree was the father of four children: John Henry III (Cathy), Roy Eugene (Laura), Cynthia Anne Tisdale (Willis), and Ralph Newton (Lynne). He was the beloved grandfather of Cassie Crabtree, Mary Rice, Will Tisdale, Maryanne Harrison, Luke and Kate Crabtree, Arlyn Bradford, and Rachael and Julia Crabtree. He was also blessed with great grandchildren: Jacob and Henry Tisdale, Charlie Rice, and Lucy Cate Heller.
Dr. Crabtree was educated in the public schools of Raleigh, NC. He served in the US Navy aboard the USS Monterrey in the Pacific from 1944-1946. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earning BA, MA, and PHD degrees. He joined the faculty of Furman University in 1957 and served as Professor of English, Chairman of the Department of English, Dean of Students, and Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs. He was a noted scholar of Shakespeare, and received the Furman Award for Meritorious Teaching in 1976. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and received an honorary Doctor of Humanities Degree from Furman upon his retirement in 1993.
Dr. Crabtree loved singing, acting and gardening. He performed as a tenor soloist in various choral groups in the Greenville area, and was active in community theatre. One of the great pleasures of his later life was teaching Shakespeare in the OLLI program at Furman. A lecture room at the Herring Center for Continuing Education is named in honor of John and Anne Crabtree.
The Crabtree family wishes to thank the staff of The Woodlands for the loving care provided John and Anne Crabtree over the last years of their lives. You were a true source of comfort to all of us.
A memorial service will be held at 1:00 pm on July 9,2019 at the Charles E. Daniel Chapel at Furman University. Following the service, the family will receive guests in the Garden Room. Memorials may be made to The Salvation Army, or to the charity of your choice. Online guest registry available at www.mackey-mortuary.com.
