Funeral services with military honors will be held on
December 6th at Indiana Funeral Care, 8151 Allisonville
Road, Indianapolis, IN. The family will greet friends from
11 a.m. until the time of the service at 1 p.m. A procession
to Crown Hill Cemetery will conclude
the well-earned salute for our Bud.
Brigadier General Cecil Duane Crabb, Junior
Our dear Bud, Cecil D. Crabb, Jr., 88, passed away suddenly
from natural causes on Tuesday, November 28, 2017.
Born January 17, 1929, he was the beloved son of Cecil
Duane Crabb and Stella Seidensticker Crabb of
Indianapolis. Bud, married since 1966, was the loving and
devoted husband of surviving Nancy Joanna Crabb,
Indianapolis.
He graduated from Shortridge in 1947 after being elected as
the class “Ugly Man” and football captain. He later
attended Butler University in Indianapolis, El Camino
College in Los Angeles, and Chaminade College in
Honolulu. He graduated from the Air Command and Staff
College and the Air War College at Maxwell AFB, Alabama.
He was a command pilot with over 3,700 flying hours and
wore the Parachutist Badge. Bud flew several aircraft,
including the P-51 Mustang and the F-111. He served in
tactical reconnaissance in Korea and assumed additional
responsibilities in Japan, Vietnam, Hawaii, Washington D.C.,
Thailand, and Egypt. Bud was promoted to Brigadier
General in 1977.
His military decorations and awards included the Legion of
Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with
oak leaf cluster, Air Medal, and Air Force Commendation
Medal with oak leaf cluster.
Bud was an avid golfer and an Elder at First Meridian
Heights Presbyterian Church, Indianapolis. He was elected
to the Shortridge High School Hall of Fame in 2014 and was
a welcomed and regular member of the Service Club of
Indianapolis.
He is preceded in death by his stepson Robert Morrow and his
sister, Rosalyn Crabb Stone.
Bud’s survivors are wife Nancy Crabb, children Thomas R.
Crabb, Steven D. Crabb, Mark J. Crabb, Melinda Ann
Murray (Philip Murray) and Timothy B. Crabb (Charmaine)and Shelly Lothian.
He is also survived by his brother Jim
(Nancy) Crabb of Carmel, Indiana.
His grandchildren are Grayson and Sanders Murray and
Geoffrey, Ian, and Eric Crabb.,
Funeral services with military honors will be held on
December 6th at Indiana Funeral Care, 8151 Allisonville
Road, Indianapolis, IN. The family will greet friends from
11 a.m. until the time of the service at 1 p.m. A procession
to Crown Hill Cemetery will conclude
the well-earned salute for our Bud.
May you fly into the heavens at record speed with that expectant
and impish grin on your face, with light shining from within.
You have served your country, family, and wife honorably with great
sacrifice and love.
We love you, Bud. You were a classic hero, pilot, gentleman, father
and husband from the one and only Great Generation.
A great man creates a great empty space with his passing, a space
that can never be filled again.
We will miss you. Godspeed, cherished friend.
In lieu of flowers, please make memorial contributions to
the American Cancer Society, PO Box 42040, Oklahoma
City, OK, 73123. (More information can be found at
cancer.org and 1-800-227-2345.)
Diane Ruth Chiomenti says
Dear Cousin Nancy & Family, keeping you in my heart and prayers. I always remember you, from my childhood, as a beautiful loving family, and I look forward to that great reunion in the sky, when Jesus comes to take His children home. 1 These 4:16-18. Lovingly, Mike &Lydia’s daughter, Ruthie
Christy Baugh says
Dear Crabb Family,
Our thoughts and prayers are with you as you celebrate Bud’s amazing life. What a privilege I’m sure it has been to know this wonderful man. He is surely leading the way in heaven today with his amazing skills and talents. Prayers for wonderful memories always to remain this Christmas and in all years to come. We love you all! The Baugh Families (Mark, Christy, Don, Ginny, and Kyle)
Larry Wildman says
Dear Crabb Family,
Had many interesting conversations with Bud at Cardiac Rehab especially about a common interest, the Air Force. He would ask about my wife’s health and her ups and downs with it. We will miss seeing him at St. Vincent’s Cardiac Rehab. He is now beyond the surly bonds of earth and touching the face of God.
Thomas Suggs says
Dear Crabb Family,
Please accept my sincere – although late – condolences for your loss. General Crabb was the 35th Tactical Fighter Wing Commander at George AFB, CA while We were there February 76 – August 77. He assisted me in a personal, professional endeavor with a letter of recommendation as I applied for a commissioning program. He personally inquired at our quarters on our PCS household shipping day for our assignment to Rhein Main AB Germany.
We communicated by letter a few times after his arrival in Cairo. Time passed and we lost touch.
Bottom line: he was a great person and leader. I am proud to have known him and he is surely missed.
Hoping this message reaches you and again we offer our sincere sympathy.