Charles Wesley Crutchfield

60-year resident of Alaska, Charles Wesley Crutchfield, 79, passed away January 20, 2018 at the family home in the Butte. Service will be held at the Shiloh Baptist Church of Palmer at 505 S. Bailey on Thursday, January 24, 2018 at 6:30 PM, and burial to take place at Fort Richardson Cemetery on Friday, January 25, at 1:30 PM.

Mr. Crutchfield was born January 22, 1939 in Memphis, TN. He was a proud member of the Boy Scouts and ROTC in high school and joined the US Marines upon graduation. He later left the Marines and joined the US Army. He was very proud to have received an commendation and parade recognizing his heroic, life-saving measures during a training exercise. He was transferred to Alaska where he met the love of his life, Nancy Love. They were married March 6, 1960. They moved to the Butte where they established their family home. He was the first graduate of the Mat-Su Community College, and he then finished his higher education at Wayne State with a M.S. in Business and Psychology. He received the Man of the Year award while working at Rehab Industries in the early 1970s. He later became a power plant operator on Shemya for the Civil Service until his retirement in the early 1990s. In retirement he enjoyed gardening, woodworking, and spending time with his grandchildren. He especially enjoyed defending his apple orchard from the moose and all the ribbons he won from the Alaska State Fair. He helped build the first Baptist Church in the Butte in the early 1960s and served as lay minister. Later, he joined the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church of Palmer where he served as a trustee and elder.

He is survived by his wife Nancy Crutchfield, his children Wanda, Corinna, Christopher and his wife Janice Crutchfield, and two grandchildren, Brittany Crutchfield and Jonathan Crutchfield. Mr. Crutchfield was preceded in death by his son Carl Crutchfield, as well as his parents and siblings.

Charlie believed that God wanted us to enjoy life, and he often described himself as being goofy with joy. He encouraged everyone to “enjoy life the first chance you get.” He was often heard to ask “You got anything sweet in your pocket?” and was a lover of Moon-pies and family dinners. A devout Christian, he looked forward to joining the Lord, but was reluctant to leave his family.