Charles Wesley Crutchfield

1939 - 2018

Sixty-year resident of Alaska, Charles Wesley Crutchfield, 79, passed away on Jan. 20, 2018, at the family home in The Butte. Service will be held at the Shiloh Baptist Church of Palmer, 505 South Bailey Street in Palmer, Alaska, on Thursday, Jan. 24, 2018, at 6:30 p.m., and burial to take place at Fort Richardson Cemetery on Friday, Jan. 25, 2018, at 1:30 p.m.
Mr. Crutchfield was born on Jan. 22, 1939, in Memphis, Tenn. A proud member of the Boy Scouts and ROTC in high school, he joined the U.S. Marines upon graduation. He later left the Marines and joined the U.S. Army. He was very proud to have received a commendation and parade recognizing his heroic, lifesaving measures during a training exercise.
He was transferred to Alaska, where he met the love of his life, Nancy Love. They were married on March 6, 1960. They moved to the Butte, where they established their family home. He was the first graduate of the Mat-Su Community College; he then finished his higher education at Wayne State with a Master of Science in Business and Psychology. He received the Man of the Year award while working at Rehab Industries in the early 1970s. He later became a power plant operator on Shemya for the Civil Service, until his retirement in the early 1990s.
In retirement he enjoyed gardening, woodworking and spending time with his grandchildren. He especially enjoyed defending his apple orchard from the moose, and all the ribbons he won from the Alaska State Fair. He helped build the first Baptist Church in the Butte in the early 1960s, and served as lay minister. Later, he joined the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church of Palmer, where he served as a trustee and elder.
He is survived by his wife, Nancy Crutchfield; his children, Wanda, Corinna and Christopher and his wife Janice Crutchfield; and two grandchildren, Brittany Crutchfield and Jonathan Crutchfield.
Mr. Crutchfield was preceded in death by his son, Carl Crutchfield, as well as his parents and siblings.
Charlie believed that God wanted us to enjoy life, and often described himself as being goofy with joy. He encouraged everyone to "enjoy life the first chance you get." He was often heard to ask "you got anything sweet in your pocket?" and was a lover of Moon pies and family dinners. A devout Christian, he looked forward to joining the Lord, but was reluctant to leave his family.