Patsy Ruth Crabb Propes May 08, 1924 – March 11, 2019 Share this obituary Sign Guestbook| Send Sympathy Card A reception in honor of Patsy Ruth Crabb Propes, 94, of Plano will be held Saturday, March 23, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. in the Carroway Family Reception Room. Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Carroway Funeral Home. Mrs. Propes was born May 8, 1924 in Dallas, Texas to the late Persis Mildred (Burruss) and Robert Calloway Crabb, and took her leave from this world on Monday, March 11, 2019 after a brief illness.
She was surrounded by family and friends as we bade her farewell. If you knew Pat a little, you probably knew quite a bit about her life. She was a born storyteller and her life story had many chapters.
Growing up in the midst of the Great Depression, she knew hardship early on, yet, when she talked about those days, it sounded more like an adventure than a time of scarcity. She would tell you about her Aunt Dorothy, whom she adored and who helped raise her after her father left her mother. Many of the stories you may have heard came from that favorite aunt.
She met Howard Lavaughn Propes, a.k.a. Big Dad, through mutual friends and he started courting the pretty, vivacious young woman who played basketball in high school. He talked Pat into marrying him in December 1940. They decided to elope by going to the first town with a Methodist Church, which happened to be in Canton, TX.
The minister had already retired for the night when they knocked on his door, but upon hearing their request, he led them to the church and married them right then. Mrs. Propes lived in Henderson with her grandparents, Emmie Beall Crabb and Arthur A. Crabb, to attend school in Henderson. She graduated from Henderson High School in 1941.
Her dream was to become a nurse, but her family could not afford the $50 tuition to go to nursing school and she had to give up on this dream. With the beginning of World War II, though Big Dad got a year’s reprieve (his was the first number Pres. Roosevelt drew out of the fishbowl), he completed basic training in 1943 and afterward reported for advanced training in California.
Pat boarded a bus with her one-month-old first-born to join her husband, but when she arrived on a weekend, she couldn’t find a room because those were all taken by servicemen’s wives in town for weekend leave. While waiting at a cafe for a room to become available, she asked a waitress about a job. A man sitting at the next table offered her one working at a laundry folding clothes.
She earned just enough for room and board for herself and Howard Jr. When Big Dad was shipped out to the Aleutian Islands, she returned to Dallas. Both of their sons were born while he served. Jim Bob arrived in 1945.
The history books are full of stories about women who worked in the factories to aid with the war effort. Pat was one of those women. After six weeks of training, she became a nose cone riveter for the Mustang at Chance Vought.
At first, she had to ride the bus to work, but saving her wages allowed her to buy a car. After her husband returned from WWII, the family eventually relocated to San Angelo in 1953 where Pat worked for GTE. She started as a switchboard operator, plugging and unplugging cables so people could talk to each other.
In addition, she served on the board of the GTE Credit Union from 1976 until her retirement. She would retire from the company as an Engineer Clerk after 28 ½ years of service. Even after retiring she stayed involved as a member of the GTE Telephone Pioneers and volunteered her time at the Telephone Museum in San Angelo.
Beyond work, she joined Beta Sigma Phi in 1958 and was a member for 61 years. Just recently she was voted Sweetheart of the Ball for 2018. During this time, she raised her family and became a proud grandma of six.
In 2001, she lost her husband of 59 years to cancer. Once again, she had to grit her teeth and adjust to widowhood in the same way she did to previous life-changing events. In 2007, she decided to pick up stakes in San Angelo to be closer to her older son and his family.
For many people leaving all of their friends behind in their 80s could be daunting, but for Pat it was another opportunity to make more friends at her new apartment complex and the Plano chapter of Beta Sigma Phi. She remained active and continued to pursue many of her interests. She loved all sorts of games, especially dominoes and card games.
One of her other favorite pastimes was playing the slot machines, and just a week before her passing, her son Jim Bob accompanied her to an Oklahoma casino. However, possibly her greatest hobby was people. Pat loved meeting folks and swapping tales.
She cherished listening to other people’s stories just as much as sharing her own. Pat was always ready to lend a helping hand and to reach out to others in need. Her family and friends knew they could count on her during good times and bad.
Pat would have told the story of her life much better than this, and she’d have taken great joy in doing so. Her stories were not just mere entertainment, but a way to share family history and life lessons. Survivors include her sons, Howard Lavaughn Propes Jr. and wife Nathalie, and Jim Bob Propes; grandchildren, Doedi Meyer and husband Donnie, Paula Kelm and husband Mike, Thomasena Philen and wife Sabine, Kimberly Trogdon, Denise Stalcup and husband Steve, and Howard Lavaughn Propes III; great-grandchildren, Kale Pemberton USN and wife Holly, Devin Propes and girlfriend Kelsi, Tyler Trogdon USM, Niels Winter, Kate Meyer, Jonathan Winter, and Andrew Stalcup; great-great-grandchildren, Raeleigh and Wyatt Pemberton; sisters, Vicki Kight and husband Jerry of South Lake and Martha Fostel of Kermit; extended family; and too many friends to possibly mention.
Memories and condolences may be added at www. carrowayfuneralhome.com. Carroway Funeral Home, Lufkin, directors.
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