Dr. T. Harold Crowder

Dr. Thomas Harold Crowder, Jr. Doctor Thomas Harold Crowder, Jr., MD became the first pediatrician in Halifax County in 1960.  Over the next forty years he had the distinct pleasure of providing medical care to children and teenagers, and in many cases, their children and grandchildren, in Halifax and the surrounding counties.  It was his wish to remember fondly his colleagues, partners, nurses and the many other co-workers who brought medical care to Southside Virginia. It is with sadness, yet joy for a life well lived, that his wife of 60 years,  Thelma Barclift Crowder,  announces his peaceful passing at home on Monday, March 27, 2017, of  Parkinson’s Disease. Harold Crowder, the only child of Mary Paylor and Thomas Harold Crowder, Sr, was born in Henderson, North Carolina on August 14, 1929.  From an early age, he displayed a curiosity for learning, an affinity for the arts and an interest in serving the community.  He was an Eagle Scout,  an outstanding student, and an amateur painter and poet.   Amazing hand eye coordination contributed to his little known talent for juggling; his ability to juggle four balls simultaneously made the rigors of lost mobility by Parkinson’s particularly vexing. After graduating as the valedictorian of the 1947 Henderson High School Class, he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was a member of the Zeta Psi social fraternity, elected to Alpha Epsilon Delta pre-med fraternity and graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1951 with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry.  Dr. Crowder received his medical degree from Duke University School of Medicine in 1955. While there, he participated in a summer internship in New York City working with polio patients at Manhattan Bellevue Hospital and was a member of the Phi Chi Medical fraternity.  He remained at Duke University Hospital to do his internship and then began a residency in pediatrics at Watts Hospital in Durham in 1957.  It was during his time at Duke that he fell in love with his wife Thelma.  They were married February 16, 1957, and in June of the same year, were deployed to Wiltshire, England when his U.S. military draft notice became active. He served as a Captain at the 7505th USAF Burderop Park Hospital in Swindon, England, for two years as chief of pediatrics. Returning to the US in 1959, he completed his last year of pediatric residency back at Duke University Medical Center.  In August 1960, he moved with his wife and children to South Boston, VA, where he joined the Fuller-Roberts Clinic and the staff of Halifax Community Hospital practicing pediatrics for thirty-nine years and retiring at the age of 70. During his medical career, he served a term as Chief of Staff at the hospital, worked on many medical committees, was a member of the Virginia Pediatric Society and the Southern Medical Association and also published an article in the Pediatric Journal. In spite of his busy medical practice and his large family, with whom he spent most of his free time, he enjoyed actively participating in Main Street United Methodist Church. He was a scholar of John Wesley, the Anglican clergyman who founded Methodism. This interest became a lifelong pursuit of collecting Wesley and Methodist memorabilia, writing articles and speaking on John Wesley. Many of the items in his private collection have been donated to the World Methodist Museum at Lake Junaluska, NC, Duke University Divinity School and Ferrum College, VA.  His other hobbies included the study of the history of medicine, as well as collecting antique medical artifacts and vintage infant feeding devices. After his retirement, Dr. Crowder, with his love of history and interest in genealogy, devoted many hours to help maintain the South Boston-Halifax County Museum of Fine Arts and History. Dr. Crowder is preceded in death by his parents Mary Maxine Paylor Crowder and Thomas Harold Crowder, Sr. and granddaughter, Michelle Patricia Crowder. Besides his beloved Thelma, he is survived by four children, Thomas Harold Crowder III (Linda) of Chicago, IL; Mary T. Crowder-Paden (Reed) of Cornelius, NC; Chancie Barclift Crowder (Marlene) of Raleigh, NC and Catherine Louise Crowder of Greensboro, NC. Dr. Crowder also is survived by six grandchildren: Courtney Care Crowder of Des Moines, Iowa; Audrey Barclift Crowder of Chicago, Illinois; Sarah Paden Boone of Charlotte, NC; William Thomas Paden of Dallas, TX; Andrew Reed Paden of Cornelius, NC and Nicholas Cole Crowder of Raleigh, NC. He is also survived by his sister-in-law Louise Barclift Hight, a niece and nephew all of Raleigh, NC. The family will receive friends and those wishing to express their sympathies at Powell Funeral Home Friday March 31 from 7:00 – 8:30 pm and at other times in their home.  Funeral services will be held at 2 pm Saturday April 1, 2017 at Main Street United Methodist Church, South Boston, VA, with graveside services to follow at Oak Ridge Cemetery in South Boston. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: Main Street United Methodist Church Organ Fund, 705 N Main Street, South Boston, VA 24592 or Sentara Halifax Hospice, 2204 Wilborn Avenue, South Boston, VA 24592.https://www.tributeslides.com/tributes/show/KBCTQF3C23T3STHS