Obituary: Nancy Elizabeth Crenshaw, 97, Bardstown
Nancy Elizabeth Crenshaw, 97, of Bardstown, died at her home on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016. She was the former Nancy Deacon, born in Lenore on June 26, 1919.
NANCY ELIZABETH CRENSHAW
She was the oldest member of New Salem Baptist Church. She became a Christian at an early age and spent her life rejoicing in the Lord and spreading His word to everyone she met. She used a card ministry to share love and encouragement to others. She was a Sunday school teacher and WMU Director for many years. She loved her church and spearheaded many projects there, including installing chimes, purchasing an organ, a cemetery flagpole, planning a prayer garden, and establishing the Heritage Library. She and her husband were church cemetery sextons for over 50 years.
She graduated from Bardstown High School in 1937 and went to work at T. W. Samuels Distillery in Deatsville, as did many young women at that time. Over the years she sold Avon, worked at Kroger, J.J. Newberry, Behr’s 5 and 10 and the sewing factory before becoming a deputy in the Nelson County Property Valuation office. She retired from there in 1985.
She and her husband owned a grocery store off and on over the years at Lenore and in the 1970’s, re-opened the building as the Lenore Ice Cream Parlor. Many happy times with friends were spent there over their delicious milk shakes and banana splits.
She was a 60-year member of My Old Kentucky Home Chapter #436, Order of the Eastern Star, where she was a past Worthy Matron, and was the organizer and first Mother Advisor of the Bardstown Chapter of the Order of the Rainbow for Girls. She was also a Kentucky Colonel.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Henry A. and Orpha Hall Deacon; her husband of 69 years, Willis B. Crenshaw; one sister, Violet R. (Jap) Roby; two brothers, Forrest E. “Red” Deacon and Kester Neal Deacon; and two nieces and two nephews.
She is survived by one daughter, Sherry C. Collins of Bardstown; one son, Rick B. Crenshaw of Bardstown; two grandsons, Brooks (Kristie) Crenshaw and Andrew Crenshaw, both of Tennessee; two nieces, Norma R. (Jim) Graham of Bardstown and Gleta Barth of Florida; two nephews, Joseph L. Roby of Bardstown and Gerald Deacon of Vine Grove; 13 great-nieces and nephews, including Lisa (Bob) Filiatreau and Kathy (Johnnie) Thompson of Bardstown; several great-great nieces and nephews; many special friends, neighbors, and church family who have meant so much to her over her long life; and a very special group, “The Chicks”, June Honeycutt, June Bean, Gwinn Hahn and Lillian Weller.
The funeral is 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016, at the New Salem Baptist Church with the Rev. Jonathan Gann officiating. Burial is in the church cemetery.
Visitation is 2-8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016 at the Houghlin-Greenwell Funeral Home, 1475 New Shepherdsville Road, and noon-2 p.m. Thursday at the church. There will be an Eastern Star Memorial Service Wednesday at 7 p.m.
The family requests expressions of sympathy take the form of contributions to the New Salem Memorial Cemetery Fund, 2775 Deatsville Road, Cox’s Creek, KY 40013.
The Houghlin-Greenwell Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
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