Obituary for LINDA LOUISE CRABTREE
Linda (Cooper) Crabtree was born December 18, 1939, to Blair and Eva (Collins) Cooper in Lorimor, Iowa. She passed away Monday, March 18, 2013, at Taylor House Hospice with her family by her side, after fighting cancer the past 24 years. The funeral service will be 10:00 a.m., Friday, March 22, 2013, at Staves United Methodist Church, with burial at Highland Memory Gardens Cemetery. Visitation will be 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., Thursday, March 21, 2013, also at the church.
Linda graduated from Lorimor High School in 1958. She was married in December 1959 to Larry Tuttle, later they divorced. They were the parents of three children. She was employed by the Graham Group, Inc., for seventeen years, retiring in 2003. In 1995 she married Dennis Crabtree. They have enjoyed dancing, traveling to several different countries and around the United States, volunteering through the church and Lions, and taking tickets at Drake basketball games.
Linda was a member of Staves United Methodist Church. She was Treasurer of the UMW at Staves and participated in Church Women United. She received the Special Mission Recognition Award and was a bell ringer for Staves. She was a member and Secretary of the Altoona Lions Club. She has received the Lions Warren Coleman Honorary Award, Progressive Warren Coleman Award and the Melvin Jones Fellow Award. She attended several Lions International Conventions and the Lions USA Canada Forums. She was active in the Iowa Kidsight screening program, and was a tissue relay transporter for the Iowa Lions.
Linda is survived by her husband, Dennis; son, Randy (Michele McBride) Tuttle of Farmington, MO; daughter, Kelli (Marty) Mahlow of Ankeny; grandchildren: Cody Tuttle of Sikeston, MO; and Mallory and Mason Mahlow of Ankeny; her step-sons: Scott (Renee) of Pleasant Hill, MO, Lynn of Bothell WA, Trent of Kansas City, MO, and Rob of Mesa, AZ; 13 step-grandchildren: Stephen, Sam, Celeste (Brandon), Savannah (Sean), Cheyenne, Sutton, Victoria (Ross), Andrew, Jamie, Jennifer, Jacob, Adison, and Ava; one step-great-grandson, Liam; her sister-in-law, Dianna (John Ruley) Cooper of Norwalk; brothers-in-law: Roy (Sandra) of Ankeny, and Phil (Christy) of Cincinnati, OH; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and their families. She was preceded in death by her daughter, JoLynn Tuttle; her parents, Blair and Eva Cooper; her brother, Ron Cooper; and mother and father-in-law, Roy and Hilda Crabtree.
Linda was always there when needed; she didn’t know how to say no. She will be greatly missed by her loved ones, friends, and relatives. Memorial contributions may be made to Staves United Methodist Church, Iowa Lions Eye Bank, and Taylor House. The family would like to extend a special thank you to Dr. Shreck, Katie, and Tammy for their compassionate care, and to all the wonderful people who helped at Taylor House.