Herman Leroy Crabtree

Funeral service for Herman Crabtree will be held 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, March 21, 2017 at the MMS-Payne Funeral Home Chapel. Visitation will be held on Monday March 20, 2017 from 1-8 p.m. with the family greeting friends from 5-7.

Herman Leroy Crabtree passed away at his home on Thursday, March 16, 2017 at the age of 74.

The son of Arvel and Lorene Stark Crabtree was born June 5, 1942 in Hartshorn, Missouri. At the age of 15, Herman took his first full time job working at the local quarry. It was also during this time that he and Jamesina Richardson began visiting more frequently. They would marry on Wednesday, March 4, 1959 at Herman's family's home.

The newlywed couple made their home in Hartshorne for the next few months. Then on January 21, 1960, the couple, with their newborn baby Curtis, boarded a train and moved to Belleflower, California. There, Herman took a job working for Eldon Manufacturing, who at the time were building atlas missiles. He later began working for the Barr Lumber Yard. Things were going well for Herman. Since moving to California, he was able to secure good jobs, and he added two baby girls, Carmen and Cynthia, to his family. However, December 23, 1965, Herman and his family left California and headed to Oklahoma. They arrived in Tulsa, where they stayed with family. They awoke on New Years Day and headed to their new home, which they had purchased sight unseen in Foyil.

May 1, 1966, Herman began the job that he had left California to pursue. He became employee number 2 for Nordam Incoorporated. The next 22 years, Herman worked as a mechanical Maintenance supervisor. He retired from Nordam after 22 years of service. After a few months of retirement, Herman decided to return to work, this time as a mechanical contractor for many local aviation companies.

Upon his second retirement, Herman focused more on his favorite hobbies and pasttimes. He was known as a man who could repurpose anything. For example, he changed pop bottles into bird feeders, and old tv stands into book shelves. He also enjoyed planting things, from flowers to vegetables, and not necessarily in gardens or flower beds. Tree stumps and any containers he could find worked perfectly. However, his fondest times were spent with his family. He loved talking about all the trips out west that he was able to take his children on, and spending time with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren always made his day.

He is preceded in death by his father, Arvel Crabtree, and brother-in-law, Paul Smith.

Survivors include his wife, Jamie Crabtree of the home; children, Curtis Lee Crabtree of Foyil, Carmen Cook and husband Rick of Foyil, and Cindy Goodman and husband Ray of Gainesville, TX; grandchildren, Herman Crabtree and wife Codi, Catherine and Carolyn Crabtree, Toni Douglas and husband Chris, Jamey Cook, Russell Goodman and wife Jana, Scott Goodman and wife Kristin, Jared Goodman and wife Michelle, Nathan Goodman and wife Kayla, Dayna Goodman, Adam Goodman and wife Nicole, and Melissa Paluszak and husband Erik; great-grandchildren, Benjamin, Olivia and Reed Crabtree, Gage, Kingston, Cannon, Jaxon, Madison, Gatlon, Dorothy, Daisy, Beverly, and Ella Goodman; mother, Lorene Crabtree and sister, Marlene Smith of Summersville, MO, brother-in-law, John Richardson and wife Jean, sister-in-law, Betty Reed, and many other uncles, aunts, nephews, neices cousins and friends.

View and sign Herman's online tribute at www.mmsfuneralhomes.com