Rev. Mother Carol Ann Crabb Passes into the Light, Memorial Service Held
Link to obituary in the Reno Gazette-Journal
Reverend Mother Carol Ann Crabb (June 30, 1944 – October 24, 2020) passed away at the age of 76 at an assisted care facility in Reno, Nevada. The Reverend Mother Carol Ann Crabb passed into the Light on Saturday, October 24, 2020 in the late morning while the Community was in the middle of performing the memorial service for Reverend Canon Gary Buchanan. Reverend Canon Ted Staver performed an Anointing of the Sick for Carol on October 23rd, the day before she passed away. Rev. Staver performed the rite alone since only he had clearance to visit her at the care facility because of pandemic restrictions. An Anointing of the Remains of the deceased was performed by Bishop Gene Savoy Jr. on October 27th in the presence of the Sacred Oversee and special friends .
A Memorial Service was held to celebrate her life on Saturday, November 7, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. in the Chapel of the Holy Child. In attendance were members of the Reno Church Community. Family members were unable to travel due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The eulogy, delivered by Rev. Canon Ted Staver, recounted her life in the Community and the events previous to the forty-five years she had spent in residence that had led her to the spiritual life and prepared her for it:
“Carol’s nature was to keep a daily journal at least up until two years ago. It was interesting going through some of her journals. At first I felt that I was invading her privacy. But then it dawned on me, as I kept reading, Carol was the type of person that got things done. Benjamin Franklin once wrote “well done is better than well said” and this quote reminds me of Carol. She was a person of few words, but her actions said it all. As I was going through her journal I came across a resume that she wrote before coming to Reno and I thought you might be interested in knowing some of the things she did before coming here, so I’d like to share that.
“She attended the State University of New York at Buffalo where she earned a B.A. in Philosophy with a minor in Anthropology. Then she went on to Syracuse University and earned her Masters Degree in Library Science. From there she went on to become the librarian at Jefferson Community College, where she advanced to assistant professor. I believe that during that time frame, possibly in her spare time, she became the Assistant Director of Religious Education at the ALL Souls Unitarian Church in Watertown, New York. Later she became the chairman of the Religious Education Commitee teaching Sunday school at various age levels, also doing presentations to adults and children on decision-making and sermons to congregations. She was the coordinator of “Life Center,” a non-profit organization for teenagers through adults for personal growth. She was also involved in camp counseling. Carol authored and co-authored four publications in the field of library science. She mentioned that she was a member of the Kripalu Yoga Society (which is a Hatha Yoga practice) and she did mention to me that it was her yoga teacher that suggested she check out this Church.
“I have a letter from Carol’s journal where she is writing to friends describing her journey to Reno. So I’m going to let her tell the story. Here is an excerpt:
Dear family and friends,
Spring is here. Daytime is warm and the trees are delicate with new green. Forsythia has been blooming for weeks along with some pink blossoms and now the lilacs are out. Reno is pretty in the spring, there are many trees, shrubs, and even green grass (if the constant watering continues). The river and little lakes in the parks have ducks, geese, and even seagulls. This time of year makes me think of New York City. I’ve been there several times in early Spring and was delighted with the new life coming forth. We have had little snow the past two winters. For a long time I anticipated snow, to see a real winter, and I missed it. Then after reading about my hometown Buffalo and next to home town Watertown, I have gotten over my need for snow.
When I first arrived in Nevada, Labor Day of “75″, I rented a little trailer in a modest park of less than twenty families. My home was accessible by the north interstate, then a secondary road, and finally a dirt road which appeared to go nowhere. From my front window I could see only sage brush, desert, and mountains. At night the sky was clear with stars hanging down close to me and the coyotes would sing. Mornings I would walk in the desert before the sunrise; such stillness I have never known.
It doesn’t rain or get cloudy very often. The air is clear and dry and light at this altitude. The sunshine is intense and the city has a crisp clean look. Many days all year round have a special spring feeling.
As I drove west across the Eastern states on a super-highway a year and a half ago, I began to think the country is all much the same. Suddenly at a point in Western Nebraska, with a sharp click in my head I registered the sight of wide open nothing. It continued for miles, open grass plains – not a tree, house, or sign. I felt disorientated, without reference points or protection. I held the steering wheel tighter and focused on my destination. The next day I was high in the mountains and my uncertainty changed to awe at the rocky heights close around me. All the way to Reno I felt the power of the desert and mountains, wild and compelling.
I have lived in five places in Reno. “Camping out” in the trailer. For the winter a shared luxury studio high in the Arlington Towers overlooking the neon casino lights. In the Spring a modest place with a companion sympathetic to simple living – natural foods, candles, herb tea, and sleeping on the floor. In mid-Summer, an unfurnished apartment of my own, the first to live there. I sold the Saab and enjoyed walking to work. Just after acquiring a few pieces of furniture, I moved to the Church Rectory.
This is a unique modern structure designed by the former owner. Four stories high, built on a hill with a wide panoramic view south of the city. From the window of my room I look out over a broad valley and mountains still spotted with snow. The building has a steel roof, stucco walls the peachy color of sunset, a courtyard and balconies. No walls inside or out appear to be at right angles. My little room has five walls of various lengths and a triangular closet. The living room is two stories high with a tall fireplace and a stairway from a balcony on the upper level.
Besides the Rectory, there is an office suite in the Arlington Towers. No church buildings, for the members are all over the United States as well as some in Canada and other countries. The number in Reno is relatively small, most of them full or part-time staff. The office is a center to distribute books to the public and present instruction to students enrolled through printed lessons, tapes, and seminars. My department is public services, (a name I chose, as my library friends will recognize). I handle inquiries, orders, large mailings and other contacts with interested persons as well as some work related to students also. It is interesting to note the wide range of persons who take an interest in the Community. Just to think of some of the various people I deal with in my work: professional men and women, young people of the new-age style, retirees, factory workers, housewives, orthodox Christians from liberal to conservative, some from Pentecostal groups, persons schooled in the Jewish faith, those who have never gone to church, and a number who have spent years exploring schools of self-development.
“I would like to mention that aside from being Reverend Gene Sr’s research librarian, as things progressed Carol also taught in the Parochial School. She did precepting for new students and there is a two-page list of other duties she performed, so she was pretty busy.
Carol Ann and Lawson Crabb with the late Bishop Gene Savoy Sr. on their wedding day in 1991
“In 1991 Carol married Lawson Crabb. He was a Southern gentleman-type of man. After the wedding they moved down to Steamboat Hot Springs. Lawson played the bass, Carol enjoyed playing the violin. Both were dedicated to the Church and had a lot in common with each other. It was a good match. She loved him. Then in April of 2000 Lawson passed away. The years following, Carol’s journals reflect a series of ups and downs.
“One of my fondest memories of Carol is when she moved out to the Sanctuary. We had an RV out there that wasn’t being used that much so in 2010 Carol was asked if she would like to move into it. I found the place in her journal where she is pondering it over. Some of her friends said she should jump on it and others, it would be a big mistake. One of her main concerns were the neighbors (that would be myself and Reano). After going back and forth trying to decide, she finally consulted the I Ching. The I Ching assured her the timing was right. I think it was around the middle of February that she spent her first night. The weather wasn’t to bad, low 30’s. And then about four days later we hit a cold spell. The temp dropped down into the teens at night and things quit working, like the heater and then frozen water pipes.
“I would check in on her every morning to see how things were going. The second day I went up to check on her, the temperature in the motor home was something like 21 degrees, I asked, “Why didn’t you call me?” And she said “Oh, I just put on my ski outfit and zipped up in my sleeping bag.” Keep in mind she still had her apartment in town she was 66 years old and kind of frail. She could just as well have said “I’m going back to town and when you get things working right call me.” We were concerned about her, but trying to talk her into going into town was not an option. She wouldn’t do it. I didn’t know Carol that well at the time, but in retrospect it was part of her nature, She liked the challenge. She enjoyed working together with me to figure out how to make it work so she could stay out there. And over a three-day period we did get the bugs worked out. So that little story is a testimony to her grit and perseverance. That same year Reano passed away and in November we decided that Carol needed to move into Reano’s apartment. So every thing was working out. Carol got a nice apartment and a green house. The following Spring she was in the green house from sunup to sundown. She loved gardening. She would often call her sister Ruth and they would spend hours talking about their gardens and exchanging ideas. So the I Ching was right. She was happy out here. Incidently there was an entry in her journal about the neighbors, turns out we were pretty nice guys after all
“Aside from the fact that she once referred to me as “a couch potato,” Carol was a gentle soul, and she brought to the Sanctuary a sense of order.
“This affirmation was a favorite of hers and I think it reflects her disposition:
Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.”
Carol Ann with Sung Cha Staver and Jamila Savoy circa 1981
Carol Ann at her residence at Steamboat Hot Springs in the early 1990s
Carol Ann performing a service at the Red Rock Consecrated Sanctuary circa 1982
A reception followed at Bishopstead on Carmel with food prepared by Reverend Noriko Roy, Deacon Radheka Patel Savoy, and Olimpia Huss.
Link to obituary in the Reno Gazette-Journal
Obituary Text Posted in the Reno Gazette-Journal and Mason Valley News
Carol Ann Crabb
1944-2020Reno – Carol Ann (June 30, 1944 – October 24, 2020) was born in Buffalo, New York to Estella and Howard Heavener. She was raised with a brother, Robert James Heavener, and two sisters, Ruth Ellen and Edna Mae. She was a sensitive and caring individual with a nature to educate, as shown in her choice of Library Science as a means to aid researchers in all fields of study. She received her Bachelor degree in Arts and Philosophy from the State University of New York at Buffalo, with two years at Syracuse University, and went on to receive her Master of Science, Library Science degree from Syracuse University.
Carol Ann was Assistant Professor for seven years in the area of Librarian for Readers Services at Jefferson Community College, instructing and providing assistance and tours for both students and visiting librarians. She had authored and co-authored four publications in the field of Library Science by 1974 when she chose to join the faculty of the International Community of Christ, Church of the Second Advent, accepting the position of Chief Librarian at the Jamilian University of the Ordained Library in Reno, Nevada in 1974. She later went on to teach Library Science at the Jamilian Parochial School. She became invaluable as the personal librarian to the Head Bishop of the Church, the late Most Right Reverend Gene Savoy, Sr., aiding his research in religious and cultural studies and in many other areas. Carol Ann was instrumental in the education of the late bishop’s son, the Right Reverend Gene Savoy, Jr., who now heads the Church.
She was ordained into the ministry of the International Community of Christ in December 1974 and served on the governing board of the Church. She met and married the Reverend Lawson Van Buren Crabb. Together they were appointed Rectors of the Church of New Qumran at the Red Rock Consecrated Sanctuary where they served together until his passing in April 2000.
Carol Ann was preceded in death by her sister, Edna Mae Heavener, and is survived by her brother, Robert James Heavener, and her sister, Ruth Ellen Heavener and also three nephews, three nieces, four great nephews, five great nieces, and two great great nieces.
A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, November 7, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. at the Chapel of the Holy Child of the International Community of Christ, 643 Ralston, Reno, NV. A reception will be held immediately following the service at Bishopstead, 2025 La Fond Drive. In lieu of flowers, please send a donation to the International Community of Christ for the planting of trees at the Red Rock Consecrated Sanctuary in her memory.
Published in the Reno Journal-Gazette and Mason Valley News from Oct. 29 to Nov. 1, 2020.
