Shirley Laura Crouse, 86, of Tulsa, died Tuesday, April 12, 2005, in St. John Medical Center. Services were in Strode Funeral Home Chapel, Friday, 2 p.m. Dr. Norman Richmond officiated. Interment was in Tryon Cemetery. Strode Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
She was born in Squires, Mo., Oct. 23, 1918, to William Orley and Laura Olivia (Bellinger) Brazeal. She married Levi Ely, Oct. 23, 1936, in Squires. He died Dec. 20, 1968. She married Vernon Crouse, Oct. 13, 1955, in Wichita, Kans. He also preceded her in death.
She was the ultimate homemaker who was always taking care of her children, family, and many of the children in her neighborhood. She loved people and they could see that in her life and in the way she treated them.
She was always smiling. She belonged to Highland Park Free Will Baptist Church, where she sang in the choir and was involved in the Ladies Auxiliary.
She was predeceased by her parents, husbands, three daughters, Juanita Ely, Julia Whatley, and Barbara Carpenter, and five brothers, Maurice, Milton, “Gran,” Vernon and Paul.
She is survived by four sons, Carl Ely and his wife, Ona, of Stillwater, Roy Allen Ely and his wife, Sun Hwa, of Olympia, Wash., Charles Ely and his wife, Vickie, of Montana, and Bruce Crouse of Stillwater; three daughters, Loretta Carr of Bowie, Md., Linda Goforth of Tulsa, and Wanda Goforth and her husband, Harvey, of Cushing; numerous grandchildren; and great-grandchildren; three brothers, Ernest Brazeal, Adrian, Mo., Joseph Brazeal, of Tucson, Ariz., and LZ Brazeal, of Kansas City, Kans.; and two sisters, Sarah Boles, of Georgia, and Juanita Nuss, of Missouri.
Condolences may be e-mailed to the family at www.strodefh.com.
