Rev. Stewart Crank, Sr.

Burlington - On Saturday, February 2, 2019, Stewart Allen Crank, Sr., beloved husband, father, grandfather, and son, passed away at the age of 75 at Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital in Greensboro, NC, surrounded by his family.

Stewart was born in St. Louis, MO, on June 5, 1943. He graduated from Saugerties High School in Saugerties, NY, in 1961; graduated from Drew University in 1965; and attended Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC. Stewart served in an inner-city ministry that advocated for human rights and social justice, which became his lifelong passion. He was ordained a Deacon in The United Methodist Church and served as a part-time minister while pursuing his career as a building contractor in Hagerstown, MD. He and the family spent 12 years in Kitty Hawk, where he built custom homes.

In 1998, Stewart earned a Master of Divinity from Duke Divinity School in Durham, NC. Stewart was ordained an Elder in the North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church and spent 22 years serving the following churches: Longhurst United Methodist Church in Roxboro, Helena United Methodist Church in Timberlake, Allensville United Methodist Church in Allensville, Trinity United Methodist Church in Oxford, Bethel United Methodist Church in Burlington, and Camp Springs United Methodist Church in Caswell County. Stewart retired in 2015 and attended Front Street United Methodist Church in Burlington.

Stewart was preceded in death by his father, Philip Lloyd Crank, Sr.; father-in-law, Thomas Curtis Sager; siblings Barbara Wallace, Robert Schmidt, Candice Orlando, Deborah Schmidt, and Wendy Thompson; nephews Beau Mason and Jeremy Crank; and granddaughter Olivia Quinn Moore.

Stewart is survived by his wife of 40 years, Martha Louise Sager Crank of Burlington, NC; mother Helen Maxine Stewart Crank of Raleigh, NC; five children: Melinda Sue Crank Stephens (Randy) of Stokes, NC, Jennifer Leigh Crank Potts (Warren) of Fitchburg, MA, Stewart Allen Crank, Jr. of Berkeley Springs, WV, David Aaron Crank (Rebecca) of Todd, NC, and Laura Allyn Crank Moore (Daryl) of Raleigh, NC. He is also survived by eleven grandchildren: Alston Potts, Alex Potts, Meghan Lefebvre, Jessica Potts, Warren Niles Potts, Marley Crank, Kyler Crank, John Stephens, Caleb Crank, Joshua Crank, Selah Crank; five siblings: Phyllis Lloyan Crank Faulkner of Great Falls, MT, Philip Lloyd Crank, Jr. (Martina) of Ticonderoga, NY, Douglas Schmidt of Sullivan, MO, Juanita Schmidt of Sierra Vista, Arizona, and Daniel Schmidt of Elgin, IL; former wife and mother of three children: Linda Sue Wolfe Crank Keister; eight exchange student “daughters:” Ariadne Peinemann, Ann-Katrin Pannen, Karen Tessmer, Chrissy Buggisch, Jessy Adler, Soel So Myong, Park Pureun, Hedvig Hogstrom;  and many extended, beloved family members.

A memorial service and celebration of Stewart’s life will be held at Front Street United Methodist Church on Saturday, February 9, 2019, at 2 pm, with a visitation after the service. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to Allied Churches of Alamance County.