OWEN E. CROSBIE (1923-2012)

CROSBIE, TJOSSEM, LIVEZEY, RUSS, HESCHKE, MOTON, ARABADJIEF

Posted By: volunteer (email)
Date: 7/27/2016 at 12:49:22

Peacefully on January 18, 2012, and with family at his side, Owen Edward Crosbie passed away at the age of 88. He was born August 11, 1923 to Edward and Stella Crosbie at Ida Gove, Iowa. He attended country school followed by two years of High School at Aurelia. He completed High School at the Olney Friends Boarding School in Barnesville, Ohio. He registered for the draft as a Conscientious Objector and served four years of Civilian Public Service (CPS), which took him to Williston, ND on a Forest Service Project, the State Mental Hospital at Independence, Iowa, the Forest Service at Gatlinburg, TN, and a State Mental Hospital in Williamsburg, VA. He usually traveled by motorcycle in those days and learned to operate construction equipment, mill dimension lumber with a sawmill, and deal with difficult personal issues on mental wards. It is safe to say that these four experiences significantly influenced the rest of his life.

After completing his service he returned to Iowa to farm his grandfather’s (Anton Tjossem) homestead between Paullina and Primghar. On March 6, 1950, he married Mildred Anna Livezey whom he had met while attending high school in Ohio. The marriage was blessed with five children; Theodore (Rowena) of Earlham, IA, Teresa Crosby (Eric Russ) of Hendersonville, NC, Christine Heschke (Larry) of Holstein, IA, Nancy Moton (Alfred) of Pella, IA, and Calvin (Lorie) of North Liberty, IA. In 1964, the family sponsored a refugee from Bulgaria through the Church World Service and Moustafa (Mark) Arabadjief (Deb) became an integral part of the family.

Owen was the quintessential tinkerer and jack of all trades. He loved working in his shop and making things. He was a skilled welder and lathe operator. He farmed for over 50 years, operated a gravel pit, did repair and mechanical work for friends and neighbors, operated a sawmill, custom baled hay, hauled propane and did service work for Producer’s Coop in Gaza, and sold 20th Century welders. He was a regular at farm sales with his neighbor Axel (Swede) Kimblad, and built several ingenious pieces of farm equipment with long time friend Lloyd Buss. Through these activities and years he formed many friendships and relationships which he enjoyed immensely.

Although he seldom indulged in vacations, he enjoyed family camping trips to visit relatives in Ohio and particularly enjoyed cooking over open fires. A Sunday afternoon would always find him popping popcorn in an iron skillet. A devote Quaker, he never turned a wrench or wheel on the farm on Sunday and only took care of livestock as necessary. He was an avid motorcyclist and enjoyed rides with Mildred on the Goldwing until nearly 80 years old.

His life experiences and religious beliefs made him an independent thinker who often did not follow the crowd. He was enchanted with the human experience and always loved a good story. He often took liberties in retelling those stories to his children and grandchildren. The twinkle in his eye was often a good indicator of just how much he was pulling your leg.

He was predeceased by his parents and son, Calvin. He will be deeply missed by his loving wife, Mildred, brothers, Roger (Louise) and Gordon of Cabool, Missouri, children, grandchildren, friends, and neighbors.