Lottie Crim's Obituary
With hearts full of both sorrow yet joyful hope in the grace of God, we announce the passing of Lottie Rutledge Crim, our beloved mother, grandmother, cousin, aunt, and cherished friend, who stepped peacefully into heaven on August 23, 2025, at Grace Space Hospice Care in Lincoln, Nebraska. After decades of faithful service and unwavering perseverance, she opened her eyes in glory, free at last from the earthly burdens of blindness, arthritis, and hearing aids. Her first sight? The face of her Savior. Her first words heard? The echo of Christ’s affirmation: “Well done, my good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23).
Born in Houston, Texas, to Weaver Lockett Rutledge and Elda Lois Hord, Lottie’s life was a testament to resilience, creativity, and devotion. She married her lifelong partner, Charles Raymond Crim, in June 1954, and for six decades stood faithfully by his side as a pastor’s wife and missionary. Together, they pastored churches in Texas, Wyoming, Hawaii, and Alabama and served with the North American Mission Board in Wyoming (1976–1998), where Lottie’s gifts flourished as a writer, teacher, and advocate for special needs children. A graduate of Stephen F. Austin State College (1968), Lottie’s career spanned classrooms in Texas and Wyoming, newsrooms at the Green River Star, and mission fields, both Stateside and in far-flung places like Paraguay, Mali, Burkina Faso, and the Philippines. She taught English and literature in Texas and Wyoming schools, founded a day-care for special needs children in Green River, Wyoming, and wrote curriculum for the Southern Baptist Convention’s Sunday School Board (later LifeWay Christian Resources). Her pen brought clarity and inspiration to countless believers, earning her induction into LifeWay’s Writer’s Hall of Fame and cementing her legacy as a gifted author of two books and countless ministry articles. Lottie’s passions were as vibrant as her faith: she loved traveling to new places with Charles, she reveled in the Wyoming wilderness, camping and big-game hunting, was an ardent sports fan, and captivated friends with her storytelling. Yet, her greatest joy was teaching God’s Word. Even in her final years at her assisted living in Lincoln, Nebraska, she hosted weekly Bible studies and opened her apartment as a sanctuary for prayer, coffee, and fellowship. Though blindness and rheumatoid arthritis sought to limit her, Lottie’s spirit remained unshaken, her hands ever extended in service. She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles; her son Bobby Glenn; her parents, Weaver and Elda Rutledge; siblings Jeannette Rutledge Bullock, Kathryn Rutledge, Lois Rutledge Chambers, Weaver Lockett Rutledge, Jr., and James Carey Rutledge; and countless loved ones who welcomed her home with joy.
Lottie is survived by: Son, David (Cindy) Crim; daughter Rebekah Grigsby, daughter Carol (Diane) Kennedy; grandchildren, Nathalie (Daniel) Whisnant; Meredith (Michael) McClendon; Rachel (Tony) Bowman; James (Laura Edell) Grigsby; Jessica Grigsby; Jason Grigsby; David (Ashley) Ullrich; Cheryl (Jeremy) Kirby; Leslie (Gerren) Grauerholz; and 12 great-grandchildren.
A Celebration of Life will be held Friday, November 28 at 3:00 PM at Charles Rader Funeral Home in Henderson, Texas, where stories of her wit, wisdom, and Wyoming adventures will be shared. The family will have a private graveside service at Crim's Chapel Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, Lottie wished for memorial donations to the backpack ministry at Calvary Baptist Church, Petal, MS, https://calvarypetal.org/give/; San Antonio School of Nursing,
https://www.wbu.edu/give/give.htm; and refugee/immigrant services at Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska, Inc., https://www.onelfs.org/donate/.
Lottie’s family clings to this truth: her gnarled hands now grasp the hands of Jesus, her ears hear angelic choirs, and her eyes—once veiled in darkness—behold the Author of Light. “In fact, we are confident ... to be away from the body (is to be) at home with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8) “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. There is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8)
What’s your fondest memory of Lottie?
What’s a lesson you learned from Lottie?
Share a story where Lottie's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Lottie you’ll never forget.
How did Lottie make you smile?
