David William Crouch, 76, of rural Browning, was released from his earthly struggles and departed this life on Sunday, November 26, 2023, after struggling courageously with health issues for several years.
Memorial services will be held at 3:00 p.m., Saturday, January 6, 2024 at the Slater-Neal Funeral Home in Trenton. Family visitation will be 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. prior to the funeral service. A private inurnment will be conducted at a later date at Mt. Zion Christian Cemetery near Humphreys. The family has asked that memorial contributions be given to The American Legion. These may be left at or mailed to the Funeral Home.
David was born March 25, 1947, in the Simpson Hospital at Milan, the son of Kenneth and Geraldine Watkins Crouch. He graduated from Humphreys R-4 High School in 1965. Early in his youth, David demonstrated a quick mind and love of the written word, a fondness for pranks and typical farm boy mischief, and a talent for remembering details of conversations heard by eavesdropping on his elders’ conversations.
After attending Northeast Missouri Teacher’s College (Truman University), he enlisted in the Navy, serving from 1967-1971, achieving the rank of Petty Officer. Serving on the USS Princeton LPH-5, David saw duty in much of the North Pacific Ocean, including Vietnam. An exciting highlight of his ship’s mission was to recover the Apollo 10 space capsule after splashdown in the South Pacific in May of 1969. He concluded his tour of duty in San Diego, CA, and lived there for several years before returning to Sullivan County. There he built his cozy, unique cordwood home and remained there, rarely wandering far, but immersing himself in the Parson community and its history.
David was a man of many interests and passions: The roofing business, beekeeping, woodworking, purveyor of antiques and “rustiques,” cooking, classic car enthusiast, cider pressing (his annual cider pressing at his home or the Hamilton Schoolhouse was a must-attend event for friends, family and neighbors), gardening, poignant historical or humorous perspective articles for the Milan Standard and other publications, and history of any era. His memory was phenomenal and he was a voracious and extensive reader. He was a devoted and loving brother, uncle and friend.
He is survived by his sisters, Donna Muiller (Jim) of Westwood, KS, and Carol Crouch of Prairie Village, KS; niece, Amy Hileman (Keil) of DeSoto, KS and nephew, Neil Muiller (Stephannie) of Lawson, MO; six great-nieces and many friends.
Online condolences may be left at www.resthavenmort.com
