John Robert Crowell, 78, of Pikeville, Tn., died early Thursday morning, May 12, 2011 at his home.
He was born Nov. 24, 1932 in Orlando, Fla. to the late Thomas Raymond and Forest Paul Crowell. A resident of Dayton Mountain since 1993, John lived most of his life in Kissimmee, Fla. He was a graduate of Florida State University with a degree in public administration and was a booster club member for over 25 years. He was past president of the Kissimmee Chamber of Commerce, and president of the Kissimmee Kiwanis Club, Lieutenant Governor for the Central Florida Region and a lifetime member with 40 years of perfect attendance. He was honored by his club with the Nixon Fellow award which is the highest honor bestowed a Kiwanian. He was also a member of Silver Spurs Riding Club and served as “Big Boss” (president). He was a former member of the First United Methodist church of Kissimmee where he served on every committee. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge and served on the Disney Community Service Awards committee. He served as a director of Florida National Bank in Kissimmee and was the former owner of Park’s Furniture and Park’s Propane and Appliances and the owner of the Hutch and Such Bridal Shop in Kissimmee. He was also a Dayton City Manager in the early 1960’s, a member of the Kiwanis Club of Dayton and a member of the First United Methodist Church of Dayton. John served his country as a Staff Sgt. with the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War.
He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Nina Sue (Simmons) Crowell of Pikeville; son, John Robert Crowell, Jr. of Lewisburg, Pa.; daughters, Janet (Wayne) Cook of Monticello, Fla. and Judith Crowell of St. Cloud, Fla.;, adopted daughters, Mary (John) Hale of Dayton and Marion Vandervoort (Frithjof) Rot of Amersfoort, Holland; brother, Charles (Betty Lu) Crowell of Punta Gorda, Fla.; sister, Elizabeth (Charlie) Saunders of Austin, Tx.; grandchildren, Henry Clayton Crowell of Newark, Del., John Patrick Cook and Lyndsey Erin Cook both of Monticello, Fla.; adopted grandsons John Hale, Jr. and Brian (Michal) Hale of Dayton; adopted granddaughters, Julia and Lisa Rot of Amersfoort, Holland; and many nieces and nephews.
Funeral services for John will be held Sunday, May 15 at 3 p.m. at First United Methodist Church of Dayton with his son-in-law Rev. Wayne Cook, Rev. David Huggins and Rev. Kenneth Pierce officiating, followed by a white dove release.
The family will receive friends at the church one hour prior to the funeral on Sunday, May 15.
Burial, with military honors, will be at Chattanooga National Cemetery Monday, May 15 at 10 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the First United Methodist Church of Dayton.
The family is being served by the Vanderwall Funeral Home in Dayton.