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Obituary for Essie M. Crew
Essie Mae Crew was born February 2, 1934 in Philadelphia, PA. She was the daughter of the late Bennie and Viola Summers. The Lord caller her home on August 6, 2012.
Essie was brought up in the church by her parents. She accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as her Savior at an early age. She became a member of Mt. Enon Baptist Church and later served as a Deaconess for many years until her health failed.
Essie was educated in the Philadelphia Public School System and graduated from Bok HS.
As a child, Essie grew up on Marshall Street in South Philadelphia with Willie Crew as her childhood sweetheart. On March 31, 1951, Willie and Essie were married and to this union 5 sons were born, Kenneth, Willie(Bruce), John, David and Jerel.
In the late 60's, Essie was employed as an Environmental Services worker at the University of Pennsylvania until her late husband, Willie was in a tragic car accident that left him paralyzed. At this time, she resigned from her job to become his private duty Nurse for 29 years.
She was like the "morning star" as she would rise early to make sure the needs of her house were met. Essie's primary love was caring for her family. She also enjoyed reading her Bible, Daily Work, sewing, shopping for food sales and telling jokes as she entertained at family gatherings. Her love for cooking was evident and she has a passion to serve anyone that was sick or grieving. You could always smell the delightful aroma of food cooking whenever you visit her home especially on Sundays and holiday dinners. She could make a meal out of anything.
Essie was a virtuous wife, mother, nana, sister, aunt, cousin and friend. She believed in the word of God. She would always say, "What's right is right and what's wrong is wrong and it doesn't matter who you are." She would also say, "God will not bless you with a closed fist". Whenever you were going through something she would say, "You want to go in my closet", and that would mean she would pray for you.
Essie kept a strong faith throughout her life even until the end. She will truly be missed by her family, especially her grandchildren who called her "Nana".
Essie was preceded in death by her husband, Willie; 2 sons Kenny and Bruce; and sister Thelma Spells.
Essie leaves to cherish her memories 3 sons, John, David, Sr. and Jerel, Sr.; 5 daughters-in-law, LaVerne, Cheryl, Lynda, Renee, Tanya and Rachel; 4 brother Bennie, Clarence, Rev. Eugene Summers and Rodger; 2 sisters, Elizabeth and Ruby; 8 sisters-in-law, hattie, Doretha, Pam, Carrie, Daisy, Rose, Lucinda and Frances; 3 brothers-in-law, Eddie, Pastor Wilbert Crew and Jerry; 20 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; 4 great-great grandchildren and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
A viewing is scheduled for Friday, August 10, 2012 9AM at Mt. Enon Baptist Church located at 500 Snyder Avenue. The funeral service will immediately follow at 11AM. Final resting place to conclude at Mt. Lawn Cemetery in Sharon Hill, PA.
