Fred Crowell passed away on Wednesday, August 11, at around 7:40 pm. Fred is my Dad, and I’ve had the unparalleled blessing of being raised by such a devoted and loving father. I will be taking over Words of Hope for a while, sharing with you some of the life lessons he taught me. My brother Jay will be joining as well. There are so many stories and ways Dad brought us insight by his dedication to God and us.

Dad brought us news around Father’s Day that he had stage four lung damage. The trial medications or other complications could have caused this, but we were hopeful he could rise above. Friday, August 6, it became apparent Dad had decided the fight was over and wanted to go home. We began a vigil with him to sing and pray for him and encourage him as he passed over. Now that I have been face to face with this journey, it was in many ways like watching someone in the labor of giving birth. Dad was in the labor of his rebirth into eternity— passing over into a new dimension and eternal reality.  

Though he labored, he was not in pain, and he would whisper words at times such as hugs, love, rejoice always, and bless the Lord. On Wednesday, I put the phone to Dad’s ear and let him hear the goodbyes of a number of key people in his life. He had a tiny tear in the corner of his eye as he listened to the voice of his beloved mentor Father Bernie as well as many others. 

I told Dad he was born on a Wednesday, and Wednesday, August 11, was a good time to go to God. My brother and I sat holding his hand and praying with him. Jay gathered his family to go home after a very exhausting and heart-wrenching day for his children. My mom lay down to rest, and I walked back to my house to get ready to sit with Dad through the night and give him his medication. The night before, I had sung and prayed with him, and I was preparing myself for another all-nighter. Before I left, I told Dad to spend time in his secret garden with Jesus. Shann, my husband, sat with him as I walked home. Right before I returned to Dad’s house, Shann noticed that my Dad stopped breathing for a little while and then would breathe a moment, and then a long time would pass before he took another breath in. Shann knew the time had come. He placed his hand on my Dad’s side and said, “Jesus is walking, walk with Him.” He said this several times, “Jesus is walking, walk with Him.” When I came into the room, Dad had moments before walked on with his Savior into eternity.  

We would love to invite you to celebrate my Dad and his life on May 29, 2022. This event will be in the Spokane or North Idaho area. More details will be coming soon. 

Here is a beautiful passage of scripture that has encouraged our family during the tremendous loss of my Dad. 

“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

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