dVivian Estelle Sapp Crumpc
Mrs. Vivian Estelle Sapp Crump, better known as “Pat” Crump to family and friends, was born on August 28, 1924, the daughter of Ulvie Lovard Sapp and Annie Pearl Sapp in the Silas community of Timpson, Texas. She was the youngest and last of seven siblings, having five sisters and one brother. She entered Glory on Thursday, December 3, 2015 from the Linden Healthcare Center Nursing Home in Linden, Texas. On October 31, 1938, she attended a Halloween party with a girlfriend where they were to meet up with two other gentlemen. As fate would have it, the young man who was supposed to “meet” Pat couldn’t attend; however, Pat did meet another young man at the event, Mervel Delton “M. D.” Crump. This would be their first “date,” and they would be inseparable even though M. D. was attending Tyler Commercial College in Tyler, Texas at the time. So it only seemed natural to them that the perfect way to end this “dilemma” of less than one hundred miles was to elope on April 21, 1940, and so they caught a ride with two friends who owned an automobile and were married in Nacogdoches, Texas. The Justice of the Peace actually performed the ceremony standing on the sidewalk while the witnesses sat in the front seat and the bride and groom sat in the back seat of the automobile. Their matrimony would endure on earth for 72 years, six months, and ten days, with the passing of M. D. 74 years to the day of their first date in 2012.
With the outbreak of World War II, M. D. enlisted in the U. S. Army Air Corps in 1943 where he trained to become a pilot. Undaunted, Pat hopped a train bound for Springfield, Missouri, the site of her young husband’s flight training. Shortly after, they returned to Texas following M. D.’s medical discharge from the Army Air Corps, and she would be the dutiful homemaker while M. D. worked in the shipbuilding and armaments industry supporting the war effort for the European and Pacific theatres of operations.
Following World War II, Pat and M. D. welcomed two new children into the world; Teresa Carol in 1946 and Jerry Don in 1949. The family would spend from 1946 through 1960 in Tyler, Texas and Paris, Texas while M. D. was employed as Store Director by Mr. Wood Brookshire of the Brookshire Grocery Company. In 1960, the family founded Crump’s Food Store on December 4, 1960 in Hughes Springs, Texas, a true “Mom and Pop” grocery store, and later added a second grocery store in Lone Star, Texas in 1961. The company she helped run still operates 55 years later with its flagship grocery store in Linden, Texas. Although they both “retired” in 1981, Pat always allowed M. D. to never be far from the stores, its employees, and its customers. She also served as the “inspiration” behind the immaculate lawn, flowers beds, and vegetable garden M. D. grew and maintained for so many years until he was physically unable.
Pat and M. D. were significant contributors to the Hughes Springs and Lone Star communities. They were both honored by the Hughes Springs Chamber of Commerce in 1998 receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award, by the Red Radiance Garden Club in 1999 receiving the coveted “Yard of the Month” distinction, and by the Lone Star Chamber of Commerce in 2005 receiving the Gabe Graves Lifetime Achievement Award. They were also members of Bible Baptist Church in Hughes Springs, Texas; Mount Olive Baptist Church in Timpson, Texas; and Missionary Baptist Church in Hughes Springs, Texas.
Pat was well known for two talents in particular. The first was her uncanny ability to select perfectly coordinated outfits for her and M. D. for any occasion, every time, without fail. No one who saw this couple more than once could mistake this remarkable color and stylistic coordination, a skill honed over many years. When Pat spoke about the couple’s attire for an event, the last word had effectively been said on the matter. The second was her ability work with her hands to sew quilts, clothing, and miniature figurines. Following their births, both of her children, all five grandchildren, and her first great grandchild wore home the same gown she knitted for Teresa’s birth in 1946. When her grandchildren announced engagements, their fiancés each received the quilt of their choice, handmade by Pat Crump.
Pat’s lasting legacy will be her faith in the Lord as evidenced by the years of unconditional love and support she gave to her husband and their marriage over their seventy plus years together. When asked in her later years about her husband, she replied, “He is all I’ve got, and he is all I ever wanted.” When asked about the secret ingredient for the longevity of any marriage, her answer was simply, “Love.”
Mrs. Crump is survived by her daughter, Teresa Carol Spencer of Hughes Springs, Texas, and her son, Jerry Don Crump of Hughes Springs, Texas. She is also survived by Jean Crump Pierce, her sister-in-law from Timpson, Texas. Mrs. Crump is also survived by five grandchildren: Chris and Debbie Spencer of Hughes Springs, Texas; Joe and Kozue Spencer of Evans, Georgia; Jason and Lisa Spencer of Alexandria, Virginia; Jennifer and Jesse Foster of Lone Star, Texas; and Andy and Lisa Crump of Omaha, Texas. Mrs. Crump is also survived by seven great grandchildren: Eric Spencer of Statesboro, Georgia; Darby Spencer of Evans, Georgia; Chris and Kim Poe of Mount Pleasant, Texas; Eric Poe of Hughes Springs, Texas; Lola Crump of Omaha, Texas; Jaxsyn Foster of Lone Star, Texas, and Jantzen Foster of Sherman, Texas. Mrs. Crump is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
Services will be held at the Reeder Davis Funeral Home Chapel 3:00 Sunday, December 6, 2015, interment will follow at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Hughes Springs, Texas. Visitation will be held one hour prior to services. An online guestbook may be signed at www.reeder-davis.com.