Ruth Crisp

Naomi Ruth McCurter Crisp 90 of Springdale died Thursday, January 23, 2025 in Fayetteville. She was born March 30th, 1934 in Holcomb, MO to Doyle McCurter and Lydia Sales McCurter. She preferred to go by the name of Ruth. She was left orphaned at the age of 12 when first her mother, then her father, passed away. She went to live with her brother Leo in the state of California, and he finished raising her although he was only about 18 at the time. She had one sister and six brothers. She met the man she was to marry, James D. Crisp, while she was vacationing and he was stationed at Point Mugu. She married James D. Crisp in 1958.
She was a dutiful wife and mother who was married to a Navy Chief Petty Officer who spent many years at sea. This lifestyle left her to tend to the children and the home without the presence of her husband a great deal of the time. As the wife of an active- duty Sailor, she moved frequently, having lived in Guam, and the states of California, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Florida, to name a few places. Before the birth of their second child, she did manage to also seek employment outside the home for a time, working as a switchboard operator. Upon her husband's retirement in 1970, they remained in Jacksonville, FL until their son Terry graduated from High School and joined the Navy as well. At that time, they packed up their home, and their 8-year-old daughter, and moved to Huntsville, AR which happened to be the residence of the brother who had taken her in when she was just a child.
The family resided in Huntsville, AR for about three years, and during this time she sought employment part-time locally and worked in a garment factory in the town. In 1980, weary of traveling the road to Springdale daily to go to work, James Crisp moved his family to Springdale, AR. At this time their daughter was of school age and Ruth again went to work in town. She worked several different jobs, as a housekeeper at a nursing home for a while, and at the newspaper office of the Springdale newspaper, where she joined a group of ladies who inserted advertisements into the daily newspaper. She forged some long-term friendships there. In 1982, her daughter Kellie met a neighbor who lived across the street, who encouraged Kellie to attend an after- school Bible program that was held weekly in her home, this was taught by Miss Carol and Miss Jule, names known to many in the area who were raised here. Ruth also started attending classes with Miss Carol and Miss Jule, and then she received Jesus as her Savior. According to her daughter Kellie, she was a joyous new Christian believer and was soon very active in Church services and programs. She would play Christian music on the stereo and weep with joy. She was the reason that Kellie was brought to accept Jesus as a child of 12. She made sure that her daughter was able to take piano lessons and learned to play hymns, and her favorite one was always "How Great thou Art", although anything played from the hymnal would make her happy.
She was a loving wife, mother and grandmother, and her presence will be missed greatly. She loved Jesus, collecting pins that she loved to wear on her clothing, and "redbirds" that she decorated her home and herself with. She was patient and long-suffering with her family, as some of us could be pretty hard to deal with.
She is survived by two children, Terry Lane Crisp and Kellie Ann Crisp Cantu. Also, by six grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
Funeral service will be 11:00AM, Thursday, January 30, 2025 in the Chapel of Memorial Funeral Home in Springdale. Burial will follow in Bluff Cemetery.