Kenneth Eugene Crow

Kenneth Crow was born in the Sand Hills of Nebraska to Elmer and Ruth Crow. Kenneth and his three brothers graduated from Bethany Nazarene College. In his family home, his roommate for 10 years was his younger brother Chuck. His roommate for the last six decades was the love of his life, Edythe. Kenneth and Edythe married after her senior year and his sophomore year in college. They were blessed with three children: Gregory, Angela, and Philip.

Kenneth worked as a framing carpenter in High School and College for his dad, Elmer Crow, and said he was “the best boss I ever had.” After college, he was proud that every paycheck he earned was from the Church of the Nazarene except for one year serving as a Registrar. He summarized his career as follows: “In my 20’s I was a missionary, in my 30’s I was a pastor, in my 40’s I was a professor and administrator, and then a church researcher for the rest.” Even when he retired, he continued to do statistical research and writing as a consultant until he was 77.

While at Nazarene Theological Seminary he was called to be a missionary and he and Edythe were commissioned at the Nazarene General Assembly in Portland, Oregon. After a year of training on maintenance and operation for all the printing equipment at Nazarene Publishing House, they were sent to Johannesburg to run the Africa Publishing House. On furlough, he was ordained at the Nebraska District Assembly.

When they became missionaries in South Africa, they shipped a dozen 55-gallon steel barrels and one wooden crate made with a half sheet of ping pong plywood on each side. In one of the barrels was the radial arm saw that Edythe bought for him. The rest of their worldly possessions were also packed rather tightly in those barrels. He loved to work in wood. He designed furniture and built many pieces including a sewing machine cabinet and a tea trolley for Edythe. He would locate old printing presses and coach them into life again, delighted to see print on paper. He loved printing almost as much as woodworking.

Kenneth loved to read, was endlessly curious, and was usually enrolled in a course at a university or seminary. He wanted to understand church growth and so at age 37 while pastoring in Colorado, he enrolled in a Sociology of Religion Ph.D. program. His thesis advisor at CU Boulder was Leonard Pinto, a practitioner of Zen Buddhism. After he earned his master’s degree and was ABD, he taught Sociology at Mid-America Nazarene College. He then went to Nazarene Headquarters to do institutional research for Bill Sullivan who convinced him to finish the Ph.D. because the Church needed insights based on reliable research. He gave advice, technical help, and encouragement to over four dozen people as they worked on their doctorates.

As a craftsman in data analytics, SPSS was his favorite tool for more than 100 reports and presentations. He served on the Association of Nazarene Sociologists and Researchers executive committee giving conference papers on anything that was needed if he “was at all interested.” In all his service to the church, his longest position was in the Research Center at headquarters. In 1999, Grow magazine unofficially named him Minister of Research and noted that “it appears that Dr. Kenneth Crow knows more about Nazarenes than anyone else, living or dead.”

He was skilled mechanically and kept machines running well by sound and touch. He was a photographer, and their homes were full of wildlife art, photography, and hundreds of curios bought at roadside stands. He tooled leather and made many pieces. He even made the frosting roses as he decorated cakes. His Journeyman Electrician’s License was proudly displayed.

He is survived by his wife Edythe, his children and their spouses: Gregory and Janet, Angela, and Philip and Lisa; by his grandchildren Jonathan and Kate, Elizabeth, and Samuel; and by his siblings and their wives: Linda, Chuck and Imalee, and Rich and Betty. He is preceded in death by his older brother Walt and his parents Ruth and Elmer Crow.

A visitation for Kenneth will be held Friday, April 1, 2022 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Chapel Hill Funeral Home, 8701 Northwest Expressway, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73162. A graveside service will occur Saturday, April 2, 2022 at 10:00 AM at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens, 8701 Northwest Expressway, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73162.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.chapelhill-okc.com for the Crow family.