Robert George Crump, age 87 of Searcy, passed away Thursday, Sept. 9,2010. Funeral memorial services for Mr. Crump will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 12, 2010 at River Oaks Village, in Searcy. Born Nov. 22, 1922, in Albuquerque, N.M., Robert was the son of the late Robert George Crump and Blanche Crump. Robert is survived by his children Susan Brown and husband Patrick, Steve Crump, Amy Taylor, Joseph Crump; his grandson Benjamin Kasch and wife Betty Jean; granddaughter Michelle Boucher; great-granddaughter Carah, and step-great-grandchildren Elizibeth, and Chandler, and foster son Vidal Estrada. He is predeceased by his wife of 63 years, Patsy, and his daughter Penny Boucher. Bob accomplished many things over the course of his life. He attended Texas Western University, played basketball for the varsity team there. He served as air crew in the Pacific Theater during World War II, and in 1947 he married Patsy Nash in Las Cruces, N.M. and they began building the family that would become the central focus of their lives together. Throughout his life Bob was active in community service. While living in Fort Smith, Ark. he was parole officer specializing in teenage offenders, a Scout Master for Troop 23, and a deacon for First Presbyterian Church. After moving to Van Buren, Bob became active in the restoration of the Downtown Historic District, and in 1992 he was named Man of the Year for his work there. In 1985, he retired after 30 years as a leader of Allstate Insurance. Even after retiring, Bob never slowed down. He was tireless in his work for Meals on Wheels, as a volunteer at Central Arkansas Hospital, and as a bingo caller at the Lightle Senior Center in Searcy, Ark. Bob never met a stranger, and he was blind to color, class, religion or politics. He treated everyone he met as not only an equal, but the warmest of friends. Anyone who knew him became accustomed to being quizzed about the health of their kids, the status of their leaky roof, or the smallest details of their life. "Who's luckier than us?" was not only Bob's motto, it was the phrase that captured his eternally optimistic outlook on life. Even in the darkest moments, Bob found a way to make his friends and family believe that the best was yet to come. That they believe that even today is proof that he was right. Arrangements entrusted to Powell Funeral Home of Searcy. www.powellfuneralhome.net.

Published September 12, 2010