Rev. Dr. William Leslie CRANE
- Born: 22 Feb 1913, Falling Spring, Greenbrier Co., WV 55,131
- Marriage: Ada M. McMILLION on 2 Oct 1933 in Ellicott City, Howard Co., MD 95
- Died: 19 Dec 2004, Roanoke, VA at age 91 55
- Buried: 22 Dec 2004, Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens, Roanoke, VA 351
General Notes:
The Mountain Messenger, Online Edition, 25 December 2004
Roanoke, VA - Rev. Dr. William Leslie Crane, 91, passed away Sunday, Dec. 19, 2004, in Roanoke Memorial Hospital following a short illness.
Born Feb. 22, 1913, at Renick, he was the son of the late Charles Oakley and Ada Dixon Hume Crane.
He was a graduate of Renick High School, attended Concord College and received his Doctorate from Moody Bible Institute.
He worked at the Friars Hill Store Co. until he was ordained a Missionary Baptist Preacher in the mid-1930s. Following that he was pastor of a number of churches in West Virginia and Virginia. In all, he pastored Baptist Churches and did evangelistic revivals for over 60 years. Churches he pastored were: Valley Baptist Church, Zenith 1939-1943; Sinks Grove Baptist Church 1940-1942; and Big Clear Creek Baptist Church and Beaver Creek Baptist Church; 1940-1944. He served as Supply Pastor of Crimson Springs Baptist, Orient Hill Baptist and Meadow Creek Baptist Churches in West Virginia. In Virginia, he pastored Springwood, Lithia, Cedar Bluff and Jennings Creek from 1944-1951; First Baptist Church, Narrows 1951-1958; Buchanan Field again from 1958-1968; Seventeenth Street Baptist of Roanoke 1968-1983; Cedar Bluff Baptist from 1988-1999; Interim Pastor from 1984-1987 Catawba Baptist, Troutville and Craig Valley Baptist, Castle, VA.
He was Clerk of the Greenbrier Association 1939-1944; Board Member of WV Baptist Convention from Hopewell Association 1939-1944. He served as Moderator of the Roanoke Valley Baptist Association in 1974 and 1975.
Rev. Dr. Crane was preceded in death by: his wife, Ada McMillion Crane; son, James W. Crane; two sisters, an infant and Mary Hester Crane; two brothers, Joseph H. Crane and L. Marshall Crane.
Survivors include: three grandchildren, Alan Crane, Bruce Crane, and Suzanne Crane Carter of North Carolina; sister, Ruth Hanna of Lewisburg; brother, Rev. Leroy Crane of Lewisburg; brother-in-law, Porter McMillion of Norfolk, VA; daughter-in-law, Phyllis Crane of Martinsville, VA; three step-grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and four step-great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild and several nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were at held Wednesday, Dec. 22, at Oakey?s North Chapel. The Rev. Dr. Aubrey Sheats, associate pastor of North Roanoke Baptist Church, officiated.
Interment will be in Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens.
Memorials may be made to: North Roanoke Baptist Church, Roanoke, VA 24019.
William married Ada M. McMILLION on 2 Oct 1933 in Ellicott City, Howard Co., MD.95 (Ada M. McMILLION was born on 24 Dec 1913 in Trout, Greenbrier Co., WV,55 died on 11 Mar 1995 in Roanoke, VA 55 and was buried on 14 Mar 1995 in Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens, Roanoke, VA 74.)
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