Heather Leigh Cox Crabtree

Heather Leigh Cox Crabtree
Evansville, Ind.
Heather Leigh Cox Crabtree, 41, Milford, Michigan, formerly of Evansville, departed this world October 31, 2013, a survivor of breast cancer.
Heather was multi-talented, and as a young child, she excelled at competitive swimming on the Oak Meadow Country Club team for 10 years. Then, as an older teenager, Heather developed a talent for gourmet cooking at Kitchen Affairs where she worked summers and holidays. Another of her many achievements as a young person was as a talented artist, who became a prized student of Mr. Jon Siau's at North High School. Her art is permanently on display at the new North, thanks to her instructor. Heather graduated from North in 1990, and went on to study at Purdue University, where she met her husband, John. Both Heather and John graduated from Purdue in 1994, she with a degree in Fine Arts and he with a degree in Engineering. They married in 1994, in a storybook setting beneath the pine trees of Heather's ancestral home in McCutchanville. The late Honorable Thomas Lockyear performed Heather and John's wedding ceremony and it was Judge Lockyear who christened the site "The Church of the Needles."
Heather's professional credits include work as a human resources manager in Chicago, Ill. and the Detroit, Michigan area to catering in Milford, Michigan, which became Heather and John's permanent home. More recently, Heather volunteered her time to teach art in the school attended by her children. After her son, Owen, was born, Heather became a full-time mother, a role that she took on with much joy and zest. Two years later, her little redheaded daughter, Parker, joined the family and life was good. However, Heather's health began a steady decline in the last five years and although she had the constant support and love of her family, her husband, and his family, especially her twin sister, dear Heather could not fend off death this last time.
In addition to her husband and children, Heather is survived by her loving and devoted parents, John and Joan Cox of Evansville; her twin sister, Rebecca Cox Ohl and husband, Matthew, their children, Samuel and Jonah of Midland, Michigan; her brother, Kenneth Cox and wife, Gina and their children, Preston and Isabella of Naperville, Ill.; brother, Michael Cox and wife, Laura and his children, Nathaniel and Gabrielle.
Heather was preceded in death by her grandparents, Vice Admiral Robert Brown, USN and Jane Richardson Brown, Dr. Warren M. Cox, Jr. and Rubye "Ting" Cox.
Because Heather planned to come home to McCutchanville for Thanksgving, a memorial service has been planned for the evening of Wednesday, November 27,2013 at 5:30 p.m. at the McCutchanville Community Church.
Memorial contributions may be made to Vanderburgh County Humane Society.