Cleo Christian Crow, 98, passed peacefully of natural causes on June 19th at his home in O’Fallon. Cleo was born October 16, 1925, in Bernie to Grover Cleveland and Rosa McCain Crow.
He was married to Zola Mae Dye on June 24, 1951. He is survived by his loving wife Zola, four adoring children, Bruce Crow of Edwards, CO; Charlotte Phillips of Union; Kandi Henderson of Kansas City; and Brent Crow of Foristell. He is also survived by 10 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, with 2 more expected in the fall.
He is recognized as one of the last surviving sailors of WWII, serving in the Navy from 1943-1946. He was drafted in the middle of his senior year of high school to serve in the war effort, initially assigned to an aircraft carrier group in the Pacific, stationed at Pearl Harbor. He was later assigned to a crash boat stationed on Kauai.
Post-war, he returned to Bernie to finish high school where he met his future wife. They were married for 73 years. He obtained his Barber’s License. In addition, he began working for the Wabash Railroad. He retired from the railroad after 30+ years and continued barbering at his shop in Warrenton and in Wentzville for over 40 years, barbering into his 80s.
He was a Charter member of the Fellowship Baptist Church in Warrenton. He had previously been a Charter member of the First Baptist Church in Warrenton.
Cleo loved sports. He was a past President of the Warrenton Khoury League. He enjoyed the St. Louis Cardinals, and most other sporting events. He played multiple sports in high school, and finally settled on baseball in and around the Bernie area for many years. He played softball in the Warrenton area into his 60s. He coached several of his children's little league baseball and softball seasons. He remained an active fan of his many children's and grandchildren's sporting activities.
He lived life to the fullest. When asked how he was doing, his response was “Oh, about 110 on the rock roads”.
The family will host a visitation from 10 A.M. - 12 P.M. Wednesday, June 26, at Fellowship Baptist Church in Warrenton with a Celebration of Life service to immediately follow also at Fellowship Baptist Church and will conclude with full military honors.
