Cecil "CW" Crownover

Rudder Funeral Home 256-437-2971 P. O. Box 525, 45015 Alabama Highway 277 Stevenson, Alabama 35772 www.rudderfuneralhomes.com Cecil William Crownover Feb. 5, 1931 ~ May 27, 2013 Stevenson, Alabama Cecil William Crownover, 82 of Stevenson, AL died May 27, 2013 at his home. C.W. was born February 5, 1931 in Sherwood, Tennessee to George Foster and Flora Hoosier Crownover. After graduating from Decherd High School, he joined the Untied States Army during the Korean Conflict, serving in the medical corps in Japan where he drove ambulances and officer vehicles. While still in the Army, he married the love of his life, Lela Gass. This year they celebrated 61 years of marriage. Upon discharge from the Army, C.W. worked for Victor Chemical in Nashville, TN as a contractor for Cowan Stone Company in Anderson, TN. Later, he worked for Avondale Mills in Stevenson, AL until it was bought by Shaw Industries. As a supervisor, he was highly respected, treating workers fairly and honestly. Due to health problems, he retired from Shaw Industries, receiving a twenty-year service award. After numerous by-pass heart surgeries, he was faced with a heart so weak his only choice for a quality life was to be placed on a transplant list. Eight months later, he got the call to come to UAB Hospital for a possible heart match. Receiving his heart transplant on October 29, 1994, he got a second chance at life. The recovery period was not an easy one; he and Lela had to move into an apartment near the hospital in Birmingham so doctors could monitor his condition on a daily basis. When he finally returned home in December, 1994, he was given a police escort into town and a "Welcome Home" reception. He was one of Jackson County's first transplant recipients, celebrating eighteen years without rejection. A member of the Edgefield Church of Christ, he served in many roles in the church, including song leader, Bible Study leader, and preacher on occasion. C.W. loved his family and friends, always helping them out whenever he could. It was fitting that he went to be with the Lord on Memorial Day, as he loved his country. He will be greatly missed. He is survived by his wife, Lela; son and daughter-in-law Danny and Frances Crownover of Stevenson, AL; grandsons: Jeremy Clay McKee of Albertville, AL and Clayton Foster Crownover and wife Jill of Knoxville, TN; great-grandsons: Will and Philip Crownover; sister Margaret Jenkins of Sherwood, TN; brother and sister-in-law Frank and June Crownover of Decherd, TN. He was preceded in death by his parents George and Flora Crownover. Visitation will be Tuesday, 5-9 PM at Rudder Funeral Home in Stevenson. The Funeral Service will be conducted Wednesday, May 29, at 2 PM at the Rudder Funeral Home Chapel in Stevenson, AL officiated by Bro. Terry Claunch and Bro. Wayne McAllister. Interment will be in the Crownover Cemetery in Sherwood, TN.

Cecil "CW" Crownover

February 5, 1931 - May 27, 2013