Lucille Crosby King

Lucille Crosby King

Hiawatha

The Rev. Lucille King passed away peacefully at her home in Hiawatha, Iowa, surrounded by several members of her large family. She was much loved at home, and in the community and the church. In May, there was a wonderful celebration of her 100th birthday at Lovely Lane United

Methodist Church, and a family reunion

celebrating the same in July in Galena,

Iowa.

Lucille was born in Medina, New

York, to David Garnsey Crosby Sr. and

Elma Ruth Bennett Crosby; she had a twin

sister, Camille, who sadly died at birth. She also had an older brother, David Garnsey Crosby Jr., who died many years ago. The family lived in Lyndonville, New York, where Lucille attended school and was a cheerleader at Lyndonville High. At family gatherings, she would entertain the group with a cheer she still remembered, and always included the motions. “Bash ‘em, bust ‘em, that’s our custom: Lyndonville High!”

After high school she attended the University of Rochester, and made no bones about her inclusive nature. She graduated from there in 1946, and spent a summer doing mission work in San Jose, California, before returning to New York City to attend Union Theolgical Seminary, with the goal of earning a degree to become a Christian educator. But life got in the way; while there, Lucille met Francis Roy (Frank) King, and they fell in love. Lucille and Frank got married November 11, 1947. Frank received his theological degree and they went to his first call in East Orange, New Jersey. While there, their first child, Christopher Morrow King, was born. Then they moved to Webster, New York, and while there had another few children: daughters Rebecca Faith (King) Harrison, Martha Lee (King) Stuter, and Judith Ann (King) Pawlak. Frank followed the advice he received in seminary, which was that after five years, a pastor had done all he – no women were being ordained then – all he could, and should move on. So the growing family moved to Clarksville, Arkansas, and while there daughter Deborah Ruth (Modracek) King and son Stephen Crosby King were born. Lucille kept busy raising their children, and volunteered at First Presbyterian Church.

Another move took the family to Parsons, Kansas, and it was there that Susan Elizabeth (King) Staed was born. Lucille supported Frank in his decision to leave the congregation pretty much overnight, due to their racist behavior, so the family moved briefly to Springfield, Missouri, and then to Dubuque, Iowa, where son Matthew Reynolds King was born. For some reason, Frank and Lucille decided that with eight children, their family was complete.

In 1969, Lucille, Frank, and the six younger children moved to Cedar Rapids, and Chris and Rebecca were in college. Another move, a few years later, took the family back to Clarksville, minus another couple of daughters who had now also grown up and were handling their own lives. Then it was back to Dubuque, where Frank was an adjunct professor of homiletics at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, and also served the Presbyterian Church in Cascade, Iowa.

While there, Lucille felt the strong call to return to seminary, this time to work on a Master of Divinity degree. With Frank’s full support, she earned that degree at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, and graduated two weeks shy of her seventieth birthday. A lifelong learner, she was very proud to have been at that time one of the oldest seminary graduates in the Presbyterian Church (USA). (Daughter Rebecca is proud to have graduated seminary in 1984, and to have been ordained ten-and-a-half years before Lucille!)

Frank had finished his service at the church in Cascade, and they called Lucille to be their pastor. It was her joy to serve there, and to lead worship and provide pastoral care. She retired from that call at 81 years of age. Frank having died in 2001, Lucille then went to live with daughter Debi and her family in Hiawatha.

Since then, Lucille has enjoyed loving on her great-grandchildren, and to help Eastern Iowa’s fabulous Democratic representative, Art Staed, with data entry, addressing envelopes, and a host of other activities. As she gradually retired from that work, she became again one of the oldest, this time as a volunteer for a political campaign. In addition, ministry ever being her call, she supported a local Cedar Rapids church and its pastor in many ways, offering pastoral care, occasionally preaching and leading worship, and other such activities.

Some of Lucille’s great loves, in addition to her family, were travel, music, writing, and knitting. She has left behind so many memories for her family, both remembrances and physical items such as scarves. We will miss so much, including her annual Christmas poem, and the twinkle in her eye.