Quinnie Crum

Quinnie Ray Crum, known locally as Mr. Ray, was born October 10,1935 in Kinta, Oklahoma and passed from this world in Lubbock, Texas on July 20, 2020. He is preceded in death by his wife, Geraldine Lou Crum, and survived by three children Cathy and husband Thomas Herndon of Carlsbad, New Mexico, Deborah Engen and fiancée Mike Dille of Portland, Oregon and James and wife Stacy Crum of Queen Creek, Arizona. He was blessed with eight grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. He was doubly blessed to come from a large family and was preceded in death by his siblings Charles Crum, Mary Ann Saffles, Butch Crum, David Crum, Janell Nichols, Wade Crum and survived by Connie Wilhoit, Sherrie Crum Johnson and Eddie Crum.

Our father was as conservative as they come being a self-made man rising from the poverty and shame of being part White and part Muscogee Creek, coming from divorced parents, picking cotton, wearing overalls, and being barefoot to become a man involved in the cutting edge of the Cold War. He once told us the greatest wonder during his lifetime was the invention of the internet. The ability to communicate world-wide and have the ability to access the wisdom of the ages could truly create a wonderful world.

He witnessed first-hand the Cuban Missile crisis from a base in Florida, worked with German rocket scientists, climbed down into ICBM missile silos with the missiles, launched missiles from White Sands, Vandenberg, Kwajalein and Fairbanks. He used the great radio-radar telescope in Puerto Rico. He also worked on submarine and aircraft systems. He took many secrets with him as he would never divulge specifics.

He worked with scientists from MIT, Huntsville and across the nation. He was the last of these men. Sure that he would follow them in a battle against cancer due to his very high radiation exposure our father decided to leave that life based in Phoenix, Arizona and return to his roots.

We have restless souls and being on the land does calm us for a while. He taught us to love and respect the earth as we are it's caretakers. He moved to Pecos, Texas to be near his father Wes Crum and siblings to start raising some cattle and farming a little.

That didn’t last long. Although that was the most happy he had ever been, his skill set was needed. He decided to return to his true love, electronics and started a repair business. He never made money, but he helped anyone and everyone in need while living in poverty himself. This was his strength and his weakness.

The last few years we talked about what he was doing and why. We told him we understood. We did plead with him when the Covid outbreak started to wear a mask and stay home, but he couldn’t. There were still people needing his help.

Our father was a quiet man of God. He attended Barstow Baptist Church and considered his Pastor Jim Daniels a friend. He never attracted attention to himself and never let people know if he was hurting. He was more comfortable with the kitchen staff and the backdoor of a restaurant than the front. He taught us that every man puts his pants on one leg at a time and that no one person was superior to us and that we were not superior to anyone else.

Due to COVID-19 the Memorial Service is set for 40 persons only Tuesday August the 25, 2020 at 10:00 am at the Pecos Funeral Home Chapel mask are required with social distancing.