Eugene Edward Crane

Eugene “Gene” Edward Crane, 88, longtime resident of Abilene, passed away peacefully in Lubbock, TX on Monday, August 6th, 2018.

Family visitation will take place from 7:00-8:30 p.m. on Friday, August 10th at The Hamil Family Funeral Home, 6449 Buffalo Gap Road in Abilene.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 11th at the Beltway Park Church Chapel - South Campus, 4009 Beltway South, Abilene, TX 79606. Pastors Randy Turner and Mike Hill will officiate.  A graveside service will follow at the Buffalo Gap Cemetery.

Gene was born in Council Grove, KS, to Charles and Eugenia Crane on May 29, 1930. He graduated high school in Haven, KS and married his sweetheart Sally Meyer on June 5th, 1955 in her hometown of Hutchinson, KS.  Gene was a veteran of the Korean War, enlisting and serving as a medic in Germany from 1950-1953. He worked for Panhandle Eastern Pipeline Co for 30 years. Gene was called into the ministry afterward, serving as a pastor in many churches around West Texas from 1981-2005 in the Northwest Conference of the United Methodist Church. He was a graduate of Wayland Baptist University and completed postgraduate studies in Ministry at Southern Methodist University.

Gene enjoyed traveling with Sally, including many trips across the country with their boys. His time stationed in Germany created in him a love of the country, something he passed along to Sally. They also vacationed together numerous other places both domestically and abroad, including eleven European trips, two pilgrimages to Israel and several other areas of the world during their total of twenty-one cruises.

Gene was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Wanda Huntsman.

Gene is survived by his wife of 63 years, Sally Crane; son, Charles “Chuck” Crane, of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; son, Tim Crane and his wife, Leigh, of Lubbock; granddaughter, Christa Franks and her husband, Richard, of Pampa; granddaughter, Brittany Karnezis and her husband, Nick, of Albuquerque, NM; great-grandchildren, Danielle, Cassie and Willow Franks of Pampa; and other deeply-treasured family members.

If desired, memorials may be given to Beltway Park Church of Abilene.