Blanche Deloris Crabtree

Blanche Deloris (Williams) Crabtree passed away December 16, 2014 in Catoosa, OK with her family by her side. She was born on March 30, 1927 in Geary, Oklahoma to Clarence and Minnie Williams. She was raised in Scipio, Oklahoma in Pittsburg County near McAlester. She attended a one-room school in Scipio and the Indianola High School. During World War II, she worked at the Savannah Ammunition Depot. After the war she worked in McAlester where she met Joe Crabtree, a veteran of the war. They married in 1946 and made their home in McAlester. Her eldest son, Joe L. Crabtree, Jr., was born in 1948. Shortly thereafter, her husband Joe, returned to the U.S. Army and they were deployed to postwar Germany. This was the first time Blanche had travelled outside of Oklahoma. Joe Crabtree then made the Army his career of choice, and thereafter, Joe and Blanche made several extended deployments to Germany. In 1954, Blanche gave birth to her second son, John, while stationed at Fort Bragg, NC. After a final deployment to Germany in 1964, Joe retired from the Army and they made their home in Lawton, OK.

Blanche's life made another turn when Joe died in 1973. At that time, she had begun a federal career at Fort Sill, OK. She completed her Bachelors Degree at Cameron College and went on to earn her Master's Degree. She was the first female employee at Fort Sill selected for that degree program. She then decided it was time to move on and she left everything and everyone behind to take a seven year long journey back to Germany. While there, she travelled extensively, making it to every continent except Antarctica. Because of her extensive travels she was approached by an Army Intelligence Unit that requested she be debriefed after each trip to provide her observations while in foreign countries. And as a true patriot, she did so and inquired if she could do more.

After her tour in Germany, she returned to the Washington, DC area in 1987, to work at the Defense Materiel Command. While with that command, she was instrumental as a key logistical executive in supplying the troops in Kuwait during the first Gulf War. Here was a woman educated in a one-room schoolhouse with a key role in a complex major war effort.....Amazing!
She retired from Federal service and returned to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2002 where she resided until her death. She is survived by her sons Jo L. Crabtree, Jr. of Mount Airy, MD and John W. Crabtree of Bristow, OK . She has three grandchildren Christopher B. Crabtree, Jackie L. (Crabtree) Medrano, and Knathan LeFever and his wife Kimberly; and six great-grandchildren Ethan, Patrick, Trinity, Lily, Andrew, and Allison.

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Christopher W. Teel of Schaudt-Teel Funeral Service in Tulsa. A funeral ceremony celebrating her life is scheduled for 2 PM Friday at the Schaudt-Teel Funeral Service Chapel in Tulsa. A graveside committal service will be held at 11:00 AM Monday at the Ft. Sill Post Cemetery in Lawton. Blanche will be laid to rest with her husband, retired Master Sergeant Joe L. Crabtree.