John Sterling Crumpler

John Sterling Crumpler was born on May 3, 1957 in Lubbock, TX to Phillip Sterling and Elizabeth Norman Crumpler in Lubbock, Texas.  

He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Robbi Lynn Blume Crumpler of Lubbock, a son, Ryan Phillip Crumpler and his wife Jane Kiser Crumpler, both of Falls Church, Virginia, a daughter, Abby Crumpler Stephens and her husband, Daniel Stephens, both of Lubbock, two granddaughters, the lights of his life, Eleanor Elizabeth and Charlotte Jane Crumpler, both of Falls Church, Virginia, a brother, Cliff Allen Crumpler and his wife, Mary Kay Lynch Crumpler, both of Ft. Worth, 7 nieces, 4 nephews, 15 great nieces and nephews, and a myriad of friends.

He is preceded in death by boths sets of his grandparents, both of his parents.  

John lived all of his life in Lubbock.  He attended Parsons Elementary, then Haynes Elementary, Evans Middle School, and Lubbock Christian High School.  He attended Lubbock Christian College, where he got his bachelor’s degree in Pyschology.  He participated in the Meistersinger Chorus and Koinonia Social Club.    John met Robbi at LCU where they were best friends before falling in love during their senior year.  They both graduated from LCU in April of 1979 then were married on August 17, 1979 in Denver, Colorado.

While in high school, he worked at Sutphens Barbeque Restaurant, where he did a little bit of everything.  Following that, he began working for his grandfather and father in the family business, Sterling Building Materials.  He continued to work for the family business all through his college years.  Upon graduation, he became a full time part of the company.  He continued his education by obtaining Masters degree in Educational Psychology from Texas Tech in 1983.   John took the helm of the family business  in 2001 after first his grandfather, then his father both retired. Abby joined the company in 2016, where John groomed her to take over the company upon his retirement in the fall of 2021.

John loved to travel.  During his college years, he traveled to Europe on a chorus tour. Shortly after they married, he traveled with Robbi’s father to India on a 6 weeks mission trip. Over the years he traveled to nearly every state in the US, as well as mission trips to England and Scotland.  He and Robbi loved cruising, especially with their best friends, Brooks and Mary Ann Loveless.  Disneyworld was another favorite destination.  In the years following his diagnosis, he and Robbi took trips to Yellowstone, New England for a fall foliage tour, Red River, NM, New Orleans, South Dakota, Chicago, Colorado Springs, and Key West, FL, as well as two more cruises.  

He loved watching sports, especially Texas Tech football and basketball.  He was always a Cowboy fan, though these last few years that became harder for him.  The last few years made him a diehard Kansas City Chiefs fan, for obvious reasons.  He was blessed to go several times to the Masters Golf Tournament with his brother, Cliff.  Those times were so special for him.

John loved the church and spent 14 years as an elder at the Broadway church of Christ, where he had attended since his birth.  He served as an elder at the Raintree Christian church for years.  He was so gifted at shepherding, particularly in working with the youth group.  His tender heart led him to offer his special brand of care to fringe members, the ones who needed a bit of extra care. He sang on the praise team often at Broadway, went on many youth trips and to summer camps with the youth group.  He was a marriage counselor, parenting advisor, and youth mentor until his health made it impossible to continue.  

He loved to make people laugh, and that is probably what he is best known for.  He could think of a quip or joke for every occasion, but also knew when it was appropriate to joke and when it was not.

He loved his family and worked hard to make sure that they all love the Lord and set their priorities wisely.  Most of all, he loved his Lord and anxiously awaited his time to be with his Heavenly Father.