Wilbur C. "Wil" Crim

SERVICES: 11:30 a.m. Friday January 24, 2014 at First United Methodist Church Columbus, Indiana VISITATION: 10:00 a.m. until the service time on Friday at the church MEMORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS: Our Hospice of South Central Indiana or the First United Methodist Church Music Department Wilbur Curtis Crim, 94, Columbus, died at 6:00 a.m. Sunday, January 19, 2014, at Our Hospice of South Central Indiana Inpatient Facility in Columbus. He was born December 9, 1919, in Plymouth, Indiana, to Curtis and Edith Crim. In December 1941, he married June Jack, who died in June 1998. August 8, 1999, he married Donna Spangler Colvill, who survives. He lived most of his life in Anderson, Indiana, and graduated from Anderson High School in 1937. He was employed by General Motors for 42 years, first at Delco Remy of Anderson where he had a number of positions. He started as a toolmakers' apprentice and made upward moves into supervisor, was a machine designer, a foreman in the process shop, a staff engineer, and chief tool engineer. In 1967 he was assigned as Master mechanic at General Motors France in Paris where he lived for six years. He became the Manager of Quality Control and Reliability. After working three months in Korea, he then moved to England where he was Manager of Production Engineering in five cities. He finished his career in 1980 at the GM Technical Center in Detroit where he was Manager of Product Component Planning in the Manufacturing Facilities Planning group. During World War II Wil joined the Army in 1944 and served as a radio operator in France and Germany, progressing to sergeant. After peace was declared he was reassigned back to the States. From the time he was a small boy he was involved in music, first as part of his father's vaudeville act of singing, dancing, and juggling during the 1920's. He took dance lessons and during the 30's he won numerous contests as a dancer and a boy soprano. He sang in barbershop choruses and church choirs, the latest in First United Methodist Columbus choir until he was nearly 90. At age 79 he performed a tap dance with his barbershop chorus. Wil had many hobbies through the years and was involved in a number of organizations which included Kiwanis Club, Masons, membership on several boards of retirement associations, and leadership roles in churches he attended. He traveled to many countries. Surviving besides his wife are two sons, Colin (Susan) Crim of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Kevin Crim of Grinnell, Iowa; a grandson, Geoffrey (Wendy) Crim of Phoenix; and three great-grandchildren, Alex, Katie and Ben. Also, he leaves three stepchildren, Jeffrey (Karen) Colvill and Laura (Rob) Andrews of Columbus, and Terry (Gary) Beale of Atlanta, GA; and seven step-grandchildren, Steve Covill, Jenny Colvill, Rachel (Tom) Andrews Trupe, Tom Andrews, Mary-Jeanette Andrews, Scott Beale, and Holly Beale.

Wilbur C. "Wil" Crim

December 9, 1919 - January 24, 2014