Obituaries

Marshall Clements Crews, 87, of Lynchburg, VA passed away peacefully on March 22, 2026 with his three children by his side. Marshall was born and raised in Halifax County, VA. His early childhood would read like a curious Tom Sawyer book. After high school, he attended Gardner-Webb College where he met the love of his life, Jean. Four years later, they married. Marshall started his 35-year banking career at Fidelity Bank in Brookneal, VA in 1961 shortly before he and Jean (Carole Jean Perkins) were married. He started as an Assistant Cashier and made his way up the ranks to Vice President and Bank Manager. The middle years of his career were spent in Chase City until he returned to manage the Brookneal branch of Central Fidelity where he started his career. This banking career allowed Marshall to do what he did best, which was talk and spend time with people in the community, especially the farm community. He rarely met a person where he couldn’t find a connection. He was either distantly related to them or he found some other connection. He truly never met a stranger and never forgot a name. If you were a stranger when you met him, you were his friend by the end of the conversation. He was a person that people never forgot once they talked to him even for a short time. During his 10 years in Chase City, he was an active member in the Lions Club, was a deacon at First Baptist Church, and served on the town council. He served as a Board Member for Halifax Regional Health System from 1999 to 2013. He was a member of the Staunton River Masonic Lodge, No. 155, starting in 2013. He always enjoyed being outdoors. He was an avid golfer, hunter, and fisherman sharing all these activities with family and friends. Some of his golf accolades include holes-in-one and shooting his age when he was just 67. Every year in the fall when it became too cold to play golf, he would put on his blaze orange vest and take to the fields hunting for quail with his bird dogs. Not surprisingly, he was an excellent shot. He spent many hours outside with his grandchildren showing them the joys of outdoor activities. He even made work fun for them, especially the blueberry picking. He loved gardening and keeping an immaculate yard. He continued indoor gardening when he no longer had an outdoor space to maintain. He definitely had a green thumb and continued raising beautiful orchids his whole life. From the time he was a young boy, he loved playing baseball whenever he could find time after chores were done, especially with his brothers Phil and Jimmy. He played shortstop through high school and was captain of the team his senior year. He was also a great fan of the sport. He listened to games on the radio and watched any game that was on television, but he always looked forward to games where his beloved St. Louis Cardinals were playing. Stan “The Man” Musial was his baseball idol. In every sense, Marshall was a true small-town country gentleman. Marshall had a kind gentle calming way about him and very rarely got upset. He showed compassion, empathy and patience with everyone he encountered. He always looked for someone to help and did so without expecting anything in return. He and Jean raised their children with the same philosophy. He had a special relationship with his mother who was only 18 years older than him. He was very protective of her and lovingly cared for her the last 18 years of her life after his stepfather passed away. He was a member of Brookneal Baptist Church, Brookneal, VA. Marshall was born to the late Stanford DeWitt and Emma Frances Clements Crews as the oldest of 5 children. He is survived by son Mark Edward Crews (Andrea) of Charlottesville, VA; daughter Marsha Jean Crews Owens (Derek) of Raleigh, NC; daughter Catherine Leigh Crews Kirkland (Jeff) of Charlotte, NC; grandchildren John Marshall Crews, Angelina Frances Crews, Emma Haydon Owens, Mary Withers Kirkland, James Marshall Owens, Carole Adickes Kirkland, Sara Marshall Kirkland, and Thomas Jefferson Kirkland, V; brother Jimmy E. Crews (Peggy) of Halifax, VA; sister Mary Frances Crews Gillan (Jim) of Hillsborough, NC; and sister-in-law, Frances Crews, wife of late brother Philip S. Crews. He was preceded in death by his wife Carole Jean Perkins Crews; brothers Philip S. Crews and Gerald L. Crews; and stepfather, Lewis Clinton Crews. A memorial service will be held at Brookneal Baptist Church, Brookneal, VA on April 18, 2026 at 2:00 pm. Visitation will be held in the church fellowship hall immediately following the service. Private interment will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a memorial donation to Centra Foundation (designated for Dawson Patient Inn Fund) https://www.centrahealth.com/foundation/make-a-gift or VBH Foundation Spiritual Life Fund https://lifespireliving.org/vbh-foundation/our-funds/spiritual-life-fund/ Condolences may be sent by visiting www.hendersonfuneral.net. Henderson Funeral Home and Cremation Service, Brookneal is assisting the family.