Obituary of Abigail Crouch

“I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always; As long as we’re living, Our mother you’ll be.” Abigail (Gail) Patricia Crouch: born April 30, 1936 - died December 12, 2006. It is with broken hearts and great sorrow that our family announces the death of our beloved mother, friend and mentor. Mom was the eldest child of Earl and Marjorie Everitt, wonderful life role models who taught Mom to believe in God, work hard for everything you receive, to never speak ill of others, to be a true friend, charitable to those less fortunate and a good neighbour, to not hold grudges and most of all – that family is the glue which holds us together. Mom married our father, Murray Crouch (Aline), and together raised us, their children - Victoria Heyninck (James), Teresa Warren (John), Timothy Crouch (Christine) and Susan Maynard (Brian). Through these unions Mom became a much loved Meme to her grandchildren; Jason (Kim) Heyninck, Amy (Issac) DaSilva, Brent Heyninck, Melissa (Bryan) Rhodes, Jamie Crouch (Bree Ross), Jennifer (Frodo) denBrinker, James Haskell, Aimeé Haskell, Jennifer (Jeremy) Field, Christopher Maynard, Sarah Warren, Ian and Eric Warren. Meme’s heart grew larger with the addition of her great-grandchildren; Emily and Rachel Heyninck, Megan and Issac DaSilva, and Owen and Georgia denBrinker. Although our family kept Mom busy, she always had time to attend her sister's and best friend, Donna Rigby (Jack), family get-togethers - Auntie Gail will be greatly missed at these gatherings. Mom’s brother, Bill Everitt (Doreen) and his family will miss Mom as she traveled with them all over the world. Mom opened up her heart and home to all the Everitts when they came to Chatham for a visit, always assuring them of a place to stay. Mom worked for many, many years for the City of Chatham in the Planning Department. There, Mom made many close friends who remained steadfast in their support and friendship to her. Mom was devastated when she had to quit work in June 1992 due to health problems but was blessed to receive a kidney transplant later that same year - November 7th (her re-birthday), which gave her 14 more years of life. Through this blessing she enjoyed being witness to the marriages of some of her grandchildren, the birth of her six great-grandchildren, traveling across Canada with her mother and sister, traveling abroad to England, Scotland, Portugal, Japan, and China with her brother, his wife and good friends, and as recently as two years ago, to Hawaii with her daughter, Vicky. Mom was the number one fan when it came to her family playing sports. You could always find Mom at the hockey arena cheering as her grandsons played hockey, encouraging on the sidelines as her great-grandchildren played soccer, and beaming with pride as her daughters and grand-daughter played baseball. Mom always made time to volunteer at her church, for charitable organizations, and at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance. When it came time to throw a party for someone, Mom was always there ready to lend a hand, but usually ended up by organizing the whole event. Mom has many friends, and she always looked forward to getting together with her Bridge group, the Old City Hall girls, former neighbours and good friends she has made along her way. Even though Mom’s friends meant the world to her, her greatest love was - and always will be - her family - her legacy. Nothing made Mom happier than to have her family around her, whether it was the nightly telephone calls, or stopping in to enjoy a cold drink by the pond on a hot summer’s day. Even though our parents are divorced, Mom knew the true meaning of family, including Dad and Aline in all of our family get-togethers. We love you Mom and will miss you daily. You taught us so much, and even though it will be difficult to continue our journey through life without you here with us, we will always be comforted by the knowledge that we had the love of the best mother/grandmother/sister in the world. They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but an entire life to forget them. We will never forget. Family will receive friends at the Funeral Home, 459 St. Clair Street, Chatham on Thursday, December 14, from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. and on Friday from 2:00 – 4:30 p.m. and 7:00-9:00 p.m. Funeral Service will be held at the Funeral Home on Saturday, December 16, 2006 at 11:00 a.m. The Rev. Karen Nelles officiating. Interment at Maple Leaf Cemetery, Chatham. Memorial donations, by cheque, to the Kidney Foundation or Canadian Cancer Society are appreciated.