Elda was escorted home to heaven on April 13, 2021 in her 87th year. Elda devoted her life to the service of her husband and children, and in the worship of her Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. She was active member of West Highland Baptist Church and Delta Tabernacle in Hamilton. The epitome of a vanishing breed of devoted housewives, Elda dedicated her life to caring for her home and children with great skill and attentiveness. She will be deeply missed, not only for her delicious baking and meals, but especially for her kind, gentle, caring and sensitive spirit, and listening ear. Mourning her loss yet rejoicing in her gain is her husband of 64 years, Glen Crewson, her three children, Dave (Terri) Crewson, Linda (John) Robinson and Stephen (Tracy) Crewson, grandchildren Heather (John) Gayford, Ben (Stephanie) Robinson, Emily (Nathan) Robinson, Evan (Shawna) Robinson, Shannon Crewson, Morgan Crewson, Kaela (Ryan) Allison, Micah Crewson, Rebekkah Crewson and great-grandchildren, Zoe, Theo, Savannah, and Violet Robinson and Claire, Alexa, Tessa, and Eve Gayford, siblings Eileen (Don) McMillan and Allan Schultz, brother-in-law Jim (Joan) Crewson, sister-in-law Betty Crewson, and many nieces and nephews. Elda lived a full life and enjoyed wonderful relationships with all her children and their families, as well her extended family and many friends who will miss her dearly. A celebration of Elda’s life will take place on Saturday April 17, 2021 at West Highland Baptist Church at 1:00pm by invitation only. The service will be livestreamed and may be viewed at; www.westhighland.org
Internment in Glanbrook Municipal Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to West Highland Baptist Church, Hamilton. Online tributes and condolences may be made at cresmountfennellchapel.com. Special thanks to Dr. Davis and the wonderful PSWs, nurses and staff at St. Joseph’s Satellite Health Facility for your tender care of our sweet mom.
Elda was born into a family with two older sisters, and one younger brother who was born three years after her. Her family home had been in a little farming community near Elmwood, Ontario, in Bentinck Township. Elda didn’t remember very much of that part of her life as they moved into Owen Sound the winter before she was three, however, there were a couple of memories that were still vivid. She remembered her mother being chased by a bull, the very old car that they drove and the rides down the hill beside their home. She also remembered the rides to visit her grandmother and grandfather a few miles away.
Elda attended Dufferin Public School in Owen Sound, as well as the Owen Sound Collegiate and Vocational Institute. Each winter during her public-school days, she enjoyed the sleigh riding hill that started halfway down one of the hills that she walked on her way to school. If she found a piece of stray cardboard, it was fun for her to slide down the remainder of the hill on her way to school. When spring came, it was also interesting for her to watch the snow melt, forming little rivers running down it. The school also had an outdoor ice-skating rink that they were permitted to use during their Phys-Ed periods.
Her family didn't have a lot of material things in their home in those days, but she never remembered going hungry. Her dad had been ill for a very long period of time and so it had been necessary for her mom to work. Their needs were met in part through many kind people that God put in their path. She attended Sunshine Band at the Alliance Church, where she first gave her heart to the Lord at age seven. She loved to memorize scripture and to attend Sunday School whenever and wherever there was one. People that influenced her at that time in her life were Mrs. Harpel and Mr. Bryans. When she was fourteen, while attending South End Baptist Church, she recommitted her life to the Lord and was baptized by Pastor Alfred Bell. Glen was also baptized at that same time.
In 1950, she started work at R.B.W. Printing as a typist. One of their major projects had been the production of the old but famous “Books of Knowledge”. After four years, she was promoted to the front office where she was assigned to secretarial work. It was a good place to be employed, as it was a family business. At the same time, she started seeing Glen a lot, or she discovered him, and the rest was history. After six years, he finally decided that she was the one that he would like to spend the rest of his life with. On May 5, 1956 they were married in the Alliance Tabernacle in Owen Sound. It was a difficult time for her as she had very mixed emotions. Her mother, who had been a major help in the planning of her daughter’s wedding, had passed away unexpectedly just 4 weeks earlier. She, along with Glen's mother, had also baked their wedding cake. Adding to the emotion was the fact that she was leaving Owen Sound and her newly widowed dad behind, as well as her place of employment and all that was familiar to start a new life with Glen.
Near the end of their first year of her marriage, she became a mother to David and thus began a new phase of her life. She was blessed with two more healthy children, Linda and Stephen, in the years that followed. Elda had the privilege of being a 'stay at home mom’, and she excelled at it. In those days, she was also involved in special activities as well as the remedial reading program at her children’s school.
She and Glen began attending Delta Tabernacle after coming to Hamilton. The whole family was part of the Club Ministries at the church, and she volunteered as a Pioneer Club committee member for several years. She was also part of the ladies’ missionary committee. Missions had always been dear to her heart, and it was a thrill for her when both Linda and Stephen served on short term missions’ trips on several mission fields in their formative years. She liked to think that the involvement she had in missions had influenced them to a large degree.
Through the years they traveled much as a family, first with a borrowed tent, and then with a couple of trailers they purchased. They covered a great deal of territory and had many good memories. As the kids grew up and became involved in their own pastimes, they picked up a new adventure. Glen came up with idea of backpacking. With some apprehension, she agreed to go along with his plan. As she looked back to those memories, she was happy for the many experiences they had together. She did, however, try to forget her fear of slipping on slick mountain rocks, the angry Bull Moose that was occupying their open shelter during rutting season, the black bear that visited their tent during the night, and even the rattlesnake that occupied their shelter just one night ahead of them. These were not her most favorite thrills! However, there was nothing like getting off the beaten track and enjoying the beauty of God's creation as they backpacked those many mountain trails. Though they finally hung up their backpacks, they continued with the joy of hiking and it was always a part of their lives together.
Bicycling had also been a fun part of their lives. They spent many hours and rode many places during the time that they dated. Those bicycles were their mode of transportation until they purchased a car just before they were married. While they were raising their young family, cycling took a back seat, but in due time they purchased new bikes and added a tandem a few years later. Her seat on the tandem was the rear seat, so she was always a sitting duck for the dogs that chased them.
In 1987, they began attending West Highland Baptist church and soon made many new friends. In January 1992, while Glen was approaching retirement, they were asked to take over the Joy Fellowship seniors' ministry, which at that time was in its infancy stage. It was a growing experience for both of them as well as a real joy to have ministered to those blessed people for 6 years. Many of them became very special friends, and for many years after leaving this ministry they still had those who reminisced about those bus trips they took together.
Watching their family grow and marry and then add grandchildren one by one was a wonderful experience for her. Throughout the years when the family would gather together, she enjoyed observing how they interacted with each other and how they supported and encouraged each other in their lives. She was so thankful that they had remained close friends with each other throughout the years. God had indeed been good.
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