Winfred Donald "Don" Crank passed away Tuesday, October 23, 2012. He was born at home on "The Hodge Place" in Stoddard County near Puxico, Missouri on April 11, 1932 to the late John Clifton and Luda (Harty) Crank. He was predeceased by his parents, three brothers John, Jr., Raymond and Jim (Eldon) and four sisters, Jeanette, Lorene, Betty and Shirley.
Survivors include a daughter and son-in-law, Robin and William Coleman and their children, Nathan, Aaron and Claire of Redwood City, CA; a son, Christopher and his children, Jordan and Jonathan of Greenbrier, AR; two brothers, Floyd of Rockford, IL and Robert (wife Reta) Crank of Poplar Bluff, MO and one sister Carolyn (husband Gordon) Martin of Wentzville, MO.
Mr. Crank's first eight years of public schooling were at Page School, a one-room rural school with eight grades. He attended Puxico High School (1945-1949) and graduated from Southeast Missouri State College at Cape Girardeau, MO in 1954 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education with majors in Business Education and English. He taught school for one year at Mangrum School (also a one-room school that housed grades one through eight) and later taught a semester at Puxico High School before entering the Army in 1954 and serving two years at Fort Chaffee, AR.
Upon discharge from the army in 1956, he joined Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and worked twenty-five years in both sales and management. Upon retirement from Metropolitan Life, he became self-employed within the insurance and financial service field.
He served as president of the Hot Springs Life Underwirters Association; secretary of the Arkansas State Life Underwriters Association; music and youth director of Oaklawn United Methodist Church of Hot Springs; treasurer of the Hot Springs Music Club; president of the Arkansas Native Plant Society. He was a member of the Arkansas Native Plant Society and Missouri Native Plant Society.
A visitation will be held at Blanchard Funeral Chapel in Sikeston, MO on Monday, November 5, 2012 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm. Graveside rites will follow at 4:00 pm at Rock Hill Cemetery near Puxico with Kenneth Linn officiating. Full military honors will be provided by the Missouri Military Honors Program.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to: "The Flora of Arkansas Project", Johnnie Gentry, Curator University of Arkansas Herbarium Biomass Research Center 139 300 University South Fayetteville, AR 72701.
Mr. Crank's online guestbook is available at www.blanchardfuneral.com.