Tim Crownover
I first met Tim Crownover when we were 10 years old. We lived in a small town and went to the same school from fifth grade through high school. I remember Tim being mischievous and fun loving.
In the fifth grade, we were in Miss Lum's class. Tim got several of us to shoot spit wads at the big clock face on the wall of the classroom. We chewed little pieces of paper, rolling them into tiny projectiles in our mouth and then shot them through the barrel of Bic pens. I believe that Miss Lum was a first year teacher. She was oblivious to most of the antics going on behind her back as she wrote on the chalkboard. By the end of the school year, the clock face was almost completely covered with dried spit wads and she never seemed to notice it.
Tim was a very small kid at that time and most of the girls called him Timmy. He was an excellent athlete and could play any sport very well. He was quick on the basketball court, could out run most everyone and went on to become a very good baseball player through high school.
Tim was from a family that attended A Pentecostal church in a nearby town. His mother, father and three sisters were fervent Christians and very dedicated to the Lord. Tim was not. His parents compelled him to go to church with them on Sunday and Wednesday nights. This task was made better for him when he learned to play the guitar and often played at church. He was a very good guitarist and spent much of his free time practicing his Fender Stratocaster guitar.
After high school I moved to San Jose and had little contact with him. He got married, had two daughters and eventually divorced. When I came home to visit Ceres, I sometimes stopped by his parents house to see them and Tim who lived there prior to and after being married.
Tim liked to party. He played in several bands as a rhythm guitarist. He made his living in construction and was a master carpenter.
35 years after moving to San Jose, I retired from my work and moved back to the area. My wife and I bought a house in Turlock in 2011. We wanted to make some improvements and so I contacted Tim about doing some of the work. Fortunately for us, he was between phases of a construction job, so he had time to work for us.
He tore out the old tile counters in the kitchen to make them ready for our new granite countertops. He also installed our new double oven as well as the cooktop into the center aisle in the kitchen. He installed and wired several ceiling fans and did a number of other tasks. Tim was not satisfied with his work until it was perfect. If you were to visit our house you would see how good he was at his trade.
Tim wanted to teach me how to play the guitar and came to my house several times with that intent. However, I was not a good student and did not follow through. The little time we spent together was always fun. We talked about old times and lots of other guy stuff. Tim had a great sense of humor which ran to the dry side. He was very handsome and had strong, rough hands from his work as a carpenter. I once told him I was thinking about having a get together with some of our school friends who still live in the area and I asked him who I should invite. He didn't skip a beat when he answered, "Me and a bunch of girls." I still laugh when I think of that.
On February 19, 2012 Tim unexpectedly died. I never found out for sure what caused his death but I believe he had a heart attack. On that day at 2 AM, I got a call from his girlfriend who told me she needed me to come to the hospital in a nearby town. Linda and I rushed to the hospital where we found many friends and family of Tim in the waiting room. At that time I was told that Tim was in an ER room and had died. We were given permission to go in the room to see my friend for the last time. I stood by him as he lay on a gurney and I cried over the loss of my dear friend. I talked to him, stroked his hair and held his hand. He did not look dead but more like he was just sleeping peacefully. He was only 54 years old at the time of his death. I miss him very much.
In the fifth grade, we were in Miss Lum's class. Tim got several of us to shoot spit wads at the big clock face on the wall of the classroom. We chewed little pieces of paper, rolling them into tiny projectiles in our mouth and then shot them through the barrel of Bic pens. I believe that Miss Lum was a first year teacher. She was oblivious to most of the antics going on behind her back as she wrote on the chalkboard. By the end of the school year, the clock face was almost completely covered with dried spit wads and she never seemed to notice it.
Tim was a very small kid at that time and most of the girls called him Timmy. He was an excellent athlete and could play any sport very well. He was quick on the basketball court, could out run most everyone and went on to become a very good baseball player through high school.
Tim was from a family that attended A Pentecostal church in a nearby town. His mother, father and three sisters were fervent Christians and very dedicated to the Lord. Tim was not. His parents compelled him to go to church with them on Sunday and Wednesday nights. This task was made better for him when he learned to play the guitar and often played at church. He was a very good guitarist and spent much of his free time practicing his Fender Stratocaster guitar.
After high school I moved to San Jose and had little contact with him. He got married, had two daughters and eventually divorced. When I came home to visit Ceres, I sometimes stopped by his parents house to see them and Tim who lived there prior to and after being married.
Tim liked to party. He played in several bands as a rhythm guitarist. He made his living in construction and was a master carpenter.
35 years after moving to San Jose, I retired from my work and moved back to the area. My wife and I bought a house in Turlock in 2011. We wanted to make some improvements and so I contacted Tim about doing some of the work. Fortunately for us, he was between phases of a construction job, so he had time to work for us.
He tore out the old tile counters in the kitchen to make them ready for our new granite countertops. He also installed our new double oven as well as the cooktop into the center aisle in the kitchen. He installed and wired several ceiling fans and did a number of other tasks. Tim was not satisfied with his work until it was perfect. If you were to visit our house you would see how good he was at his trade.
Tim wanted to teach me how to play the guitar and came to my house several times with that intent. However, I was not a good student and did not follow through. The little time we spent together was always fun. We talked about old times and lots of other guy stuff. Tim had a great sense of humor which ran to the dry side. He was very handsome and had strong, rough hands from his work as a carpenter. I once told him I was thinking about having a get together with some of our school friends who still live in the area and I asked him who I should invite. He didn't skip a beat when he answered, "Me and a bunch of girls." I still laugh when I think of that.
On February 19, 2012 Tim unexpectedly died. I never found out for sure what caused his death but I believe he had a heart attack. On that day at 2 AM, I got a call from his girlfriend who told me she needed me to come to the hospital in a nearby town. Linda and I rushed to the hospital where we found many friends and family of Tim in the waiting room. At that time I was told that Tim was in an ER room and had died. We were given permission to go in the room to see my friend for the last time. I stood by him as he lay on a gurney and I cried over the loss of my dear friend. I talked to him, stroked his hair and held his hand. He did not look dead but more like he was just sleeping peacefully. He was only 54 years old at the time of his death. I miss him very much.
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