Mary Melissa Crabtree passed away peacefully in her sleep on January 31, 2026, just two days shy of her 84th birthday. Born on February 2, 1942, in Brown County, Ohio, to Walter L. and Helen M. Kattine, Mary grew up in Georgetown, Ohio, where she graduated high school in 1960.
Shortly after graduation, she began a 46-year journey of marriage with her beloved husband, Robert E. Crabtree, until his passing in 2004. A lifelong homemaker, Mary’s greatest work was her family. She navigated the joys and sorrows of motherhood with a quiet strength, raising seven surviving children: Louis R., Walter L., Juan P., William E., Chris, Elizabeth, and Candice Crabtree. She now joins her husband and three children who preceded her in death: Lois, Anthony, and Melissa.
A woman of steady faith and simple pleasures, Mary was a member of Elfers First Baptist Church in Florida. She found peace in nature through bird watching, had a lifelong soft heart for animals, and was an avid sports fan. She leaves behind a legacy of endurance and a large, loving family who will miss her dearly.
Funeral services will be at 12 p.m. Friday, February 20, 2026, at Wallace Funeral Home & Chapel, Barboursville. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service Friday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Dial-Prichard Cemetery in Branchland, WV. If you have any questions, please contact Walter Crabtree at [email protected]. Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.timeformemory.com/wallace.
