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Haskell Crooks, 79 year old May resident, passed away Wednesday, November 7, 2018 in Miami, Oklahoma. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Monday, November 12, 2018 at the Woodward Church of the Nazarene. Burial will follow in the May Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of the Billings Funeral Home. Visitation will be at the funeral home on Sunday, November 11, 2018 from 9:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. with the family present from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.
Haskell Leo Crooks was born June 1, 1939 at Shattuck Memorial Hospital as the last of 12 children born to Pearl and Goldie (Long) Crooks – and was the only one NOT born at home. He grew up 3 miles south of May on the farm his parents owned and worked. During his first month of life, Haskell was afflicted with Rheumatic Fever but had few long-lasting effects. Since he was a child, he worked on the farm with his dad and his siblings. In an autobiography he wrote for college, he said he began helping with the more complicated farm work at the age of eight. His folks had a farm of approximately 600 acres and ran a herd of around 100 cows. He milked cows, fed chickens and tended hogs. His hobby was riding horses. Because there was not enough room in the house for all the kids, he remembers himself and his six brothers sleeping in the barn, and waking up during winter months with snow on the blankets that had sifted in through the holes and loose seams.
Haskell attended the Church of God (Holiness) in May, OK all of his life. He attended school at May through his junior year, then after the May school closed in 1957, he graduated from Ft. Supply. He met the love of his life (then just 13 years old) Leora Grace (Bower) during his freshman year of school. They married on December 27, 1957, celebrating 60 years of marriage this past December.
To this union were born six daughters, Madelyn Latae, Penny Lee, Debra Lynn, Sherrie Ladawn, Darla Louise and Barbara LeAnn. They never had the son he had so hoped for, but he was sure proud of his girls and decided he would not trade them for the world. He emulated for his family a solid work ethic, honesty, integrity and taught them to be independent. He always encouraged them in school, at music lessons and he always loved to hear his girls play the piano.
After they were married, the couple moved to Goodwell, OK where Leora attended high school and Haskell attended one year of college. He had learned to weld, so he rented an old filling station where he built stock trailers to help pay the bills. He told one story of taking a nearly completed trailer for a test run before the final welds, and losing a wheel in the process. He decided pretty quickly that college just was not for him. He just wanted to be a farmer and run cattle, so that was what he did. They moved back to May in 1960 and never left (until the past 3 years in the nursing home in Commerce, OK).
He was active in farming and ranching from then until his accident three years ago, at the age of 76. He loved driving tractors and moving dirt. He always wanted to find the biggest piece of equipment he could and figure out how to run it and he usually could. He even enjoyed a stint building terraces with R.O. Scott. He did custom harvesting, spending many summers traveling up into the Dakotas harvesting wheat and oats and out into Boise City, OK harvesting Milo. It was a sad summer when he could no longer operate a combine.
Haskell loved carpentry, as well. He started off framing and building houses, and then eventually got into building metal buildings. He did not like any of the (prefab) stuff. He fabricated his own, and there are many of his buildings across the country and in multiple states that are still standing strong today. One of the jobs he was most proud of was a huge dairy barn and other loafing sheds and hay barns he built for Braums dairy farm at Follett, TX. If you came to visit for more than a day, chances are, he took you to see it. He helped build a church in St. Croix, USVI that has withstood at least two hurricanes.
Haskell loved traveling. As a young family, many summers involved vacations with the whole crew in the station wagon. After the girls were gone, he and Leora did a lot of traveling, on their own as well as for Postal Conventions, since Leora served as Postmaster for 13 years. They traveled throughout the entire United States, with the exception of Hawaii.
Haskell did many missions trips in and out of the US, helping to build or repair churches. Some of the places most noted were Jamaica; Haiti; St. Croix; St. Thomas; Alaska; Arizona (Navajo reservations); South Dakota; Cuba, AL; Jackson, MS; Kansas City area, and locally, Vici OK. He loved giving and he loved people and he loved using his talents to further God’s kingdom work across the globe.
He donated a considerable amount of time, talent, money and annually, fresh beef to the Kansas City College and Bible School, following in the footsteps of his father. He strongly believed in the work of the college and always wanted to support them. He and Leora attended the annual conventions and alumni gospel sings for many years.
Haskell spent the past nearly three years of his life at Eastwood Manor, entertaining the nurses and staff with his quick witt and ornery humor. He had a great appreciation for all the caretakers and often remarked that “we should pay them somethingâ€. He was loved by the team because of his gentle spirit.
Haskell was preceded in death by his parents, Pearl and Goldie (Long) Crooks; 10 of his 11 siblings: sister, Violet (Crooks) Ross and husband Alfred; brother, Delbert and wife Mable (Jones); brother, Cecil Charles (CC) and wife, May (Golden); brother, Freddie; sister, Veta (Crooks) Briant and husband, Kenneth; brother, Robert; brother, Raymond and wife, Lavena (Dockum); sister, June (Crooks) Spurgeon and husband, Roy; sister, Shirley (Crooks) Crumpton and husband, Jess; brother, Franklin; and brother-in-law, Roland Knudson; mother-in-law and father-in-law, William and Opal (Enyart) Bower.
Haskell is survived by his loving wife of 60 year, Leora Grace (Bower) of the home. Six daughters, Madelyn Stallcup and husband, Steve of Harrah, OK; Penny Brewer and husband Rex of May, OK; Debra Salmons and husband, Dwane of Fulton, MO; Sherrie Stephens and husband (and dad’s doctor) Bradford of Miami, OK; Darla Crooks of May, OK; Barbara Yokely and husband, Randy of Miami, OK; one sister, Arbella Blossom (Knudson) Key and husband Bob, of TN; Sisters-in-law, Betty (Little) (Crooks) Leach of Moore, OK; Suzanne Crooks of Sarasota, FL; Ida Crooks of Laverne, OK; Bertha (Bower) Innis and husband Dean of Enid, OK; Anitta (Bower) Munson and husband, Steve of Guymon, OK; brother-in-law, Dale Bower and wife Monique of Cashmere, WA.
21 grandchildren: Eric Cosner, Brian Cosner and wife, Amy, Matthew Salmons, Jaelea (Brewer) Phoenix and husband, Mathew, Derrick Yokeley, Raelesa Brewer, Brooklyn Salmons, Anastasia Stephens, Melissa Stephens, Michael Yokeley, Benjamin Stephens, Graham Stephens and Heidi Yokeley. Chris Stallcup and wife Paulina, Zach Stallcup and Patty; Jeremiah Stallcup and wife, Valerie; Stephanie (Stallcup) Schmidt and husband Stephen; and Sarah (Stallcup) Pagonis and husband Michael; Regan Brewer and wife Nancy; Leslie Brewer and wife Jennifer; and Regina Brewer.
27 great-grandchildren: Haiden Cosner, Savannah Cosner, Zaden, Kaden and Charity Phoenix, Avianna Yokeley, Isabella and Esteban Stallcup, Evelyn, Colin and Owen Stallcup, Elaina Schmidt, Peter, Stephen and Evynia Pagonis. Carrie Callaway, DJ Brewer, Lacy Stephens, Cassie Schroeder, Jeni Franks, Lana Brewer, Stephen Brewer, Henry Lauderdale, Salena Campbell, Alon Martinez, Lucina Martinez and Cameron Burnhardt and a host of cousins, nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Funeral Service
Monday Nov 12
2:00 PM
Woodward Church of the
Nazarene
400 Downs Avenue
Woodward, OK 73801
Burial
Monday Nov 12
May Cemetery
West of May
May, OK 73851
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