Fred was born June 27, 1932 to Fred William and Agnes Lucille (Bradshaw) Crenshaw. He graduated from Benjamin High School in 1949. He was the oldest of six children and spent his youth living and working on ranches alongside his father and brother, Buddy. He joined the U.S. Army in 1951 and served in combat during the Korea war as a member of the 235th Field Artillery Observation Battalion, Battery B, attaining the rank of Staff Sergeant and was awarded the Korean Service Medal with two Bronze Service Stars. He married Maggie Faye Wimberley January 17, 1959 in Abilene, TX. Together they raised four daughters.
Fred worked hard his entire life. He possessed a very strong work ethic and provided well for his family. His primary occupation was driving trucks, both locally and coast-to-coast hauling various goods such as cattle, oilfield equipment, sand & gravel, grain and soft drinks. He also mentored and served as an instructor to teach many others the trade. He worked 18 years for Wylie Oil Company managing and overseeing the Merkel Truck Stop. He developed and nurtured many lifelong friendships along the way. He had an easy-going personality and could always make you laugh by sharing a personal story or a joke. He was also incredibly generous always making himself available to help those in need.
In his retirement years, he found his love for sharing his faith and his love of God and country through his many writings of poetry and short stories. Many of his stories were from personal experiences and his poetry was God inspired. He was always eager to pray with someone and share a word of encouragement.
He loved his family deeply and was extremely proud of his four daughters, always boasting about their accomplishments to others.
He was preceded in death by his parents Fred William and Agnes Lucille and a brother Buddy
He is survived by four daughters, Kay Johnson and Tonya Crenshaw of Abilene; Freda Ragan and husband Glen of Merkel; Pam Marler and husband Scott of Tuscola. Five grandchildren, Colby Johnson and wife Reina of Abilene; Josh Johnson of Plainview; Michelle Crawford and husband Jeff of Abilene; Ashlee Stewart and husband Cody of Abilene; Devin Braswell and husband Case of Abilene. Sisters, Dorothy Maples of Canyon; Joy Riggins and husband Joe of Haskell; Janna Baird and husband Mike of El Paso, brother Billy Crenshaw and wife Karen of Happy. Four great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held Thursday, October 18th from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at Elliott Hamil Funeral Home, 5701 South Hwy 277, Abilene, TX. Funeral Services will be held on Friday, October 19th at 11:00 a.m. at Elliott Hamil Funeral Home, 5701 South Hwy 277, Abilene, TX with Jimmy Griffith officiating. Burial will follow at 1:00 p.m. at the Texas State Veterans Cemetery, 7457 West Lake Road, Abilene, TX.
Pallbearers will be Colby Johnson, Jeff Crawford, Cody Stewart, Case Braswell, David Crenshaw and Brian Deaton.
The family would like to express their appreciation to the nursing staff of Northern Oaks Nursing Center and Kinder Hearts Hospice for the excellent care and love they gave him.
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