Obituary of Trudell "Trudy" Darlene Crowder

Trudell “Trudy” Darlene McMinn Crowder

Trudy Crowder, of St. Petersburg, Florida, passed away at the age of 87 on February 29, 2024.

She was born on March 6, 1936 in Sutersville, Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, to parents Dorothy Barbara Munro McMinn, age 18, and John Morrison McMinn, age 20.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her sisters Saundra “Sandy” Loyd and Margaret “Peggy” Bennett and her husband Clarence “Jack” Crowder.

She graduated from South Charleston High School in 1954 and wed her classmate Carlos “Wardie” Lilly.  On January 2, 1955, she became a mother to John Steven.  War separated and estranged her from her first husband and they divorced.  Afterward, she enjoyed working as a lab tech at Thomas Memorial Hospital where she had many good friends and met her second husband Jack, a pharmacist who adopted Steve.  On April 9, 1966, she gave birth to Karen Lynn and on December 4, 1967 she gave birth to Cynthia “Cindy” Jo.  Shortly thereafter, the family moved to Lakewood Estates in St. Petersburg, Florida for a brief period of time and then they bought a home in Maximo Moorings where she remained until her passing.

Trudy truly enjoyed life.  She always said that despite being born during the depression in a very poor small town that she thought she was born and raised in the happiest of times to a very loving family.  She often shared stories of her childhood playing by the river and railroad tracks. She enjoyed traveling her whole life and created many great memories all over the world. She was happy to move to Florida where the sun shines constantly and she enjoyed boating, going to the beach and playing tennis.  Later in life, she attended college at St. Petersburg Junior College and studied accounting.  She worked in the accounting departments of Jack Eckerd Corporation and Palms of Pasadena Hospital.  She also served as a loyal member of St. Andrew Lutheran Church where she enjoyed many close friendships for over 40 years.

She is survived by her children, John Steven Crowder (wife Denise Crowder), Karen Turpin (husband Bruce Turpin and granddaughter Ashley) and Cindy Strobhar (husband Scott Strobhar and grandchildren Shannon, Rachel and Emily) and other nieces, nephews and friends.

A memorial service will be held at St. Andrew Lutheran Church, 1901 62nd Avenue S, St. Petersburg, FL, 33712, at 1pm on March, 23, 2024 with Pastor Chip Salzgeber and Pastor Klaus Koch officiating.  At a later date, her cremated remains will return to Pennsylvania to be laid next to her family members at West Newton Cemetery close to where she was born.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Suncoast Hospice. There is a tab on the left on the screen that will take you to their donation page, or you can visit https://suncoasthospice.org/donate/