William Edwin Crook's Obituary
CROOK, William Edwin of Nashville, TN and New Smyrna Beach, FL passed away Saturday, August 28, 2010. He was preceded in death by his parents Tom and Nora Lafferty Crook and brother, Tom Crook, Jr. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Mary Jean Hamric Crook; son, Steven Edwin (Suzanne) Crook ; daughter, Debra Crook (Mike) Kelsey of FL; grandchildren, Seth Crook of CA, April Crook, Nash Crook, Courtney Kelsey (Allen) Peacock of FL, Katie Kelsey (Carson) Dodds of OK, and Monica Kelsey of FL; and great-grandchildren, Samuel Peacock and Elizabeth Dodds. Bill graduated from East High School, after which he served for two years in the 69th Infantry Division of the United States Army in World War II, with 18 months of duty in the European Theater of Operations. Upon returning home, he studied at Vanderbilt University and George Peabody College, from which he graduated in 1950. Bill joined the family-owned grocery store, Crook Brothers. His efforts led to the expansion of the business, with four Bill Crook's Food Town Stores operating in the Nashville area. In 1971, Bill's son Steven joined the family business and the chain eventually grew to include 13 stores in Middle Tennessee. After 87 years of continual service to the community, the stores were sold in 1998. Bill was active in many organizations of his trade. He served as President of the Middle Tennessee Grocers Association, the Tennessee Grocers Association, and finally the 40,000 member National Association of Retail Grocers. He also served on the Board of the (international) Food Marketing Institute. As a lifetime member of Grace Baptist Church, he served as Deacon and Bible teacher, as well as serving on several pastor search committees. He was active in the Tennessee Baptist Convention, having served as vice-president, and on the Tennessee Baptist Foundation. He has been President of the Southern Baptist Foundation, as well as serving on the Annuity Board, and the Southern Baptist Christian Services Commission. He was also a trustee of Baptist Hospital. Bill was an integral part of the group that founded Davidson Academy and had an instrumental role in choosing the school's name. He also served twelve years as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the school. Visitation with the family will be from 3-7PM on Tuesday at Spring Hill Funeral Home. The service will be at 11AM on Wednesday at Grace Baptist Church, 1510 Old Hickory Blvd., Nashville, TN 37207, with visitation one hour prior. Members of the Four Square Sunday School Class of Grace Baptist Church will serve as honorary pallbearers. Interment will follow at Spring Hill Cemetery. Donations may be made to Grace Baptist Church, 1510 Old Hickory Blvd., Nashville, TN 37207 or Davidson Acadamy, 1414 Old Hickory Blvd., Nashville, TN 37207.
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