Gertrude Belle Crain

Preceded in death by son James Eugene Crain (December 18, 1981)

and husband James Bradley Crain (January 5, 1995)

and daughter Ruby Carol Alford (February, 2014)

Survived by 2 sons, Arnold and Larry and wife Beverly,

and 4 grandchildren Peter Crain, Michael and David Alford, and Andrea Christensen,

and 5 great grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchild.

BIOGRAPHY

Gertrude B. Crain was born on June 16, 1921 to Charlie C. and Fannie Stark in Santa Ana, California. At age 7 her family moved from Santa Ana to Russet, Oklahoma. As oldest child she helped her mother with raising her 3 siblings. They managed to survive the difficult times during the depression. Gertrude completed the 10th grade in school.

Gertrude met her soon-to-be husband James B. Crain through his family members who lived and worked in the surrounding areas. They were married on June 24, 1939. Later that year Jimmy’s brother Charlie came to Oklahoma to pick up Gertrude, Jimmy and his brother Al and wife Mary Ruth to bring them back to California to work together in his delivery business in Pasadena. They all arrived on Dec. 31st 1939. Their first experience after arriving in Pasadena was watching the Tournament of Roses Parade from their office windows on Colorado Blvd.

Gertrude and Jimmy raised 3 children, Arnold, Eugene, and Ruby, in Pasadena. On July 31, 1949, the very night the family moved to El Monte, their 4th child, Larry, was born.

In November of 1954 the family moved to their new home in So. El Monte, where

Gertrude began a home business of Child Day Care. Besides the 4 children of their own, there were up to an additional 6 children daily and sometimes on weekends in the home. Gertrude continued this business from approximately 1953 until she retired the business 32 years later. She also served as head of the church nursery at El Monte First Southern Baptist Church for approximately 25 years. Then she served 10 years as General Secretary for the Church. She has since been a member of the First Baptist Church of Temple City.

Gertrude enjoyed working in her garden, quilt-making, sewing projects, and working with son Larry’s Rose Parade Float Building business, painting props for several floats. She also helped with the floral production on the Academy Awards Oscar Show.

Gertrude continued living in the family home in So. El Monte until her passing on December 25th, 2015.