Oct. 30, 1922 – April 16, 2014

ST. JOSEPH — Services for Mary Elinor Allen Crigler, 91, of St. Joseph, who died Wednesday, April 16, 2014, at her residence, will be at 2 p.m. today at St. Joseph Baptist Church with the Rev. Joseph L. Odenwald officiating.

Burial will follow in Legion Memorial Cemetery in Newellton under the direction of Crothers-Glenwood Funeral Home.

Visitation will be from 12:30 p.m. until service time today at the church.

Mrs. Crigler was born Oct. 30, 1922, in Newellton, the daughter of Charles B. Allen and Viola Durham Allen.

She was a graduate of Louisiana State University and completed post graduate courses at the University of Texas and University of Mississippi. While at LSU, she was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority.

She married her husband, James Carpenter Crigler “Jimmie”, on Jan. 22, 1944, while he was on leave before deployment to Europe with the Third Army. After his return, they moved to Oxford, Miss. where he attended law school and she attended graduate school at Ole Miss. After finishing school, they moved to her family farm, Sunnyside Plantation, in St. Joseph where he farmed and she tended to their six children. She bravely overcame the death of her second child, Chuck, in a tragic accident.

Her life revolved around her family, their education and St. Joseph Baptist Church, where she was a life-long member and Sunday school teacher.

She and Jimmie enjoyed playing bridge with a group of friends who came back to Tenas Parish after World War II and she also enjoyed playing in a ladies’ bridge club.

She was a member of the Daughter of the American Revolution and the St. Joseph Cosmopolitan Club.

She was a fatihful supporter of academic and athletic progams at Davidson High School and Tensas Academy.

She and Jimmie spent many evening watching their sons and grandchildren play various sports.

They also enjoyed traveling the world together. Mary Elinor was very interested in genealogy and was able to trace her ancestry back many generations.

Although Mary Elinor said she wasn’t a good cook, she provided great meals for her large family and saw to it that all sat down to supper.

Her family had a hard time knowing when she was sick because she would never admit to feeling bad.

She was a stickler for proper English and gently corrected her family members when they misused the language.

Mrs. Crigler was preceded in death by her parents; step-father, Bruce Bufkin; one son, Charles Allen Crigler; two sisters, Barbara Allen Bagley and Margery Allen Berwick; one nephew, Lee Berwick Jr.; and one niece, Kathryn Berwick.

Survivors include her husband of over 70 years, James Carpenter Crigler; five sons, James C. Crigler Jr. and wife, Mullady, John D. Crigler and wife, Karen, William S. Crigler and wife, Julie, Allen S. Crigler and wife, Betsy and Robert Shep Crigler; granchildren, Kate Besselman and husband, Tommy, James C. Crigler III and wife, Chistel, Ginny Anderson and husband, Casey, Ellie Axford and husband, Tommy, John D. Crigler Jr. and wife, Carly, David Crigler and wife, Mary Kathryn, Kathryn Cran and husband, John, William S. Crigler Jr., Ross Crigler, Allen Scott Crigler Jr. and wife, Farrar, Thomas Crigler, Mary Elizabeth Crigler, Ruth Crigler, Alex Crigler, Robert Crigler and Spencer Crigler; great-grandchildren, Thomas Besselman, Isabelle Besselman, James C. Crigler IV, Audrey Crigler, Joseph Anderson, Ally Axford, Mary Elinor Axford, Annie Axford, John Durham Crigler III, Camille Crigler, Julia Crigler, Caroline Crigler, Henry Cran, Scott Cran and Roarke Brown; and life-long friend, Hazel Green DeWitt.

Pallbearers will be James C. Crigler III, John D. Crigler Jr., David Crigler, William S. Crigler Jr., Allen Scott Crigler Jr., Thomas Crigler, Alex Crigler and Robert Crigler.

The family thanks Joyi Clark, Mary Lee Nicholas, Faith Rollins and Aletha Carter for their loving care and Cynthia Sloane of Tensas Home Health and Renee Todd and the staff of TLC Hospice Care for their caring and expert attention.