Norma Earlene Crews

Dr. Norma Earlene Conley Crews

(1924 - 2022)

Dr. Norma Earlene Conley Crews, Tucker, Georgia, passed away on Christmas Day, 2022 at the age of 98.  A memorial service to celebrate her life will be scheduled in the coming weeks.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. L. William Crews, and her parents, Nolan and Mary Conley.  She is survived by her children, Dr. William Crews (Pamela) of Tucker, GA, Mary Crews Worthen (Lynn) of Conway, AR, and Daniel Crews of Phoenix, AZ.  Her grandchildren are Lyndall Phillip Worthen, III (Allison), Timothy Crews-Anderson, Carey Crews Allison (Brian), Ryan Crews, William Crews (Nadia), Mary Katherine Crews (Ade), Anna Crews Hawk (Adam), Daniel Crews (deceased), Armando Crews, Keisa Crews Davisson (Brett), Cameron Crews (Tina), and Allisa Crews. Her great-grandchildren number twenty-two.  

Norma was born on June 27, 1924 in Rossville, OK. She, and her husband Bill, were married on September 4, 1943 in Oklahoma City, OK.  

Norma was a remarkable in every sense of the word. The impact she had on her children, grandchildren, great-children, nieces and nephews not to mention countless students, counselees, friends, and others are without precedent.

Norma started school at the age of four as her mother, a school teacher, had no childcare available. At fifteen, she graduated from high school winning all academic awards including Valedictorian.  She completed college in three years, winning numerous academic awards with straight A’s except for a C in tennis (she overslept from time to time).  Soon after graduation, she eloped with her childhood sweetheart, Bill, starting a life-long love affair which still resonates in the lives of her great-grandchildren.

In the early years of their marriage, Bill pastored churches in rural Oklahoma and Texas.  During this time, she served as an elementary and high school teacher taking only a few weeks off when her children, Billy and Mary were born. In 1950, Norma and Bill began a five-year stint as missionaries to Native American communities on the Navaho and Pima reservations in Arizona.  In 1951, they adopted Daniel, a Native-American youngster who was 14 months old at the time.  Norma taught school at each location, primarily in the elementary grades.  From 1955 - 1963 Norma and her family lived in Oklahoma and Kansas where she continued her teaching career.  During that time, she completed a Master’s Degree in Counseling at the University of Oklahoma.

Their next stop was Atlanta, GA which became her permanent resident for the next 53 years where she taught at local high schools and at the collegiate level. In 1973, she completed a Doctorate at the University of Oklahoma. Norma’s continuing professional career included that of a high school teacher and counselor (DeKalb County, GA), Dean of Women (Atlanta Baptist College - now Mercer University, Atlanta), Professor of Psychology, Counselor, Director of Developmental Studies, Department Head of Psychology (DeKalb College).  Additionally, she started a private counseling practice. Norma traveled extensively world-wide taking student groups on travel abroad programs.  After retiring from DeKalb College in 1985, she accepted a position at Reinhardt College where she developed and became head of a new department designed to assist students with learning disabilities.

Her husband, Bill, passed away in March, 2013 on Good Friday at the age of 91.  In 2014 she wrote her memoirs entitled Born to Teach, From Inkwells to Laptops which illustrates much of her life as an educator.  What a legacy!

In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution to the charity of your choice in her name.