Duane Crabtree, 84, fell asleep in the Lord peacefully at his Melrose home on Saturday, October 5, 2024.
Duane was born on April 28, 1940, in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine to Edmund and Florence Crabtree. He was married to Sayoko Matsumoto of Kurayoshi, Japan for nearly 60 years.
“Duane was predeceased by their daughter, Sarah Ann Crabtree, their grandson, Jeffrey James Owen, and Duane’s brother Bernard Arthur Crabtree. Duane is survived by his wife, Sayoko, and great grand-daughter Jestina Sarah Owen, as well as sister, Eunice Crabtree Gulliver of Dover-Foxcroft, ME and his niece Carol Gulliver Hilton of Cumberland, RI, as well as many other special relatives in the U.S. and Japan.”
Duane attended Eastern Nazarene College (Quincy, MA) for his bachelor’s and then earned his Master’s Degree of Library Science at Simmons College in Boston. Duane spent his career in education as a teacher and as a long-time librarian. He taught at the high school level in Maine, and at the college level at Berkshire Christian College, (Lenox, MA). He served as a librarian at Boston Public Libraries, Eastern Nazarene College, and retired as a long-time librarian at Belmont Public Library. He also served as the curator of the Adventual Library at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (S. Hamilton, MA).
Duane was known for his kind and genial spirit, his wonderful sense of humor, his adventurous character, and his vibrant faith in Christ. Duane was an active member in his churches (Somerville & Melrose) and his church denomination (Advent Christian) his entire life, participating at both local and national levels, and winning a multitude of friends along the way.
In Duane’s younger years, he was an avid hiker and climbed all of New Hampshire’s 4,000+ footers. He enjoyed studying genealogy and discovering familial connections between friends; often turning friends into cousins. Duane loved books and read widely. He enjoyed listening to symphonies & organ concerts. He enjoyed visiting Japan and taking cruises around the world, all the while accompanied by his constant companion & faithful wife, Sayoko. Duane and Sayoko were longtime members of Lakeside Campground in Belgrade, Maine where they spent many blissful summers with a loving faith community. Duane served as historian for the Advent Christian denomination, Lakeside Campground, and many others.
Duane’s greatest hope was in Jesus Christ, and he looks forward to the Great Day of Resurrection in the Lord.
A memorial service will be held on Monday, October 14, 2024, at 11 AM at Faith Evangelical Church, 200 Franklin Street, Melrose, MA. Relatives & friends respectfully invited to attend.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to either (BICS) Berkshire Institute of Christian Studies, Lenox, MA or to Faith Evangelical Church for world missions.
