Vandel Morris Crump's Obituary
Vandel Morris Crump went to be in his forever home August 21, 2025.
Graveside services with Masonic Rites will be held at 10 AM on Monday, August 25, 2025 in Rowe Cemetery in Hedley. Memorial services will follow at 11 AM at Community Fellowship Church in Clarendon with Rev. Larry Capranica officiating.
Morris was born on November 4, 1940 in Paris, TX to Virgil Morris and Raydell Hagood Crump. He was the second child of four children. Virgil Ray, Ruby Paulette, and Larry Eugene were his siblings. When Morris was born, he was very allergic to any kind of milk. The doctor told his mother to find something he can tolerate and feed him or else he is going to die. She found he could keep mashed up bananas and vanilla wafers down. He would laugh and say, "I guess that was why he loved the woods, being raised on monkey food." Paulette and Morris were plagued by asthma from all the rain in East Texas. When he was 10 or 11 they went to Hall County to pull cotton boles and found that those two got better in the dyer air, so they moved there. When Morris was 12, he had a bad case of rheumatic fever, once again nearly dying. The doctor at Memphis said if he were to survive that he would likely never walk again. Morris said he would lay in bed dreaming of walking outside, roaming the river, and watching all God's plants and animals. When he got strong enough to get out of bed to sit up, not walking, Larry and Paulette, 10 and 8 at the time, would pull him outside in a wagon. He said it was the greatest feeling being outside again. He never liked being indoors very much at all. These past five weeks were hard on him because he couldn't walk much further than the house to the pickup.
In 1959, he graduated Memphis High School and at his mother's plea, went to Texas Tech for two semesters. Morris' heart didn't belong in a building, so he came back to Hall County. In 1963, he married Janie Ivey and they had Morris Ray and Randall Lynn. He always said Janie was a good mother, but things just didn't work between them. Morris took to drinking and ended the marriage. He married Loretta Ham and she had two small boys, Justin and Jason Ham. Morris said he would always be grateful that she pushed and shoved him to finally get help to quit the liquor. That marriage ended in 1989. Morris had been a farmer and ran a few cows with his father-in-law, A.B. Ivey. Farming wasn't to Morris' liking, so he day worked at Hedley Feedyards, for several of the area ranches, hauled hay, and shod horses. Morris' motto was if a man will work he won't starve. He worked for Bill Craft and the JA's. He said each time he went and lived at those ranches it was because he needed a break from the hay hauling and the horse shoeing. He finally went to work full time in 1985 at the High Card Ranch staying there until 2004.
Morris loved good horses and he was blessed to have raised several of them using Joe Neal Shadle's stud. In fact, 4 of those horses made it to the AQHA show year end winning 3rd and 4th place awards in team penning. He started out roping calves going to Claude with Harold Lindley. This was before team roping caught on in Texas. With his sons, brother Larry, and his children, Morris built a roping arena at his house. The Crump's put on several jackpot ropings. If any young kids wanted to learn to rope, Morris would say, "You come work the chute and when your time to rope comes up, you can rope." It worked out well for several young boys. When ranch rodeos first started in the early 80's, that was something Morris really enjoyed doing. He rodeoed with Ray and Randy on the ranch team with other people until he met up with Linda McCleskey. She had four sons, James, Willie, Elwyn, and Wyman. His boys had been team roping from under 10 years old and Linda's boys had been riding broncs since about that age, so with several different combo's of their children, they won lots of rodeos from 1993 to 2003. Justin Ham even got in on a couple of those rodeos.
Branding time was Morris' favorite time of year. He enjoyed flanking calves, especially getting those big calves down. He said the one man he really enjoyed flanking with was Tony Sparks. He said Tony enjoyed busting a big one on the ground as much as he did. After leaving the High Card, he went back to shoeing horses, day working at ranches, and working at the area feelots. At one time, Morris, his sons, and all of Linda's sons worked together at McLean Feeders. Morris loved the wild canyon country and enjoyed it to the fullest.
Morris was a 50 year Mason, Lubbock Scottish Rite, Al Morrah Shriner, and Eastern Star man.
Morris was preceded in death by his parents; all of his siblings; and son, Randy.
He is survived by his wife, Linda of 30 years; son, Ray and wife Mike Elizabeth; stepsons, James and wife Jayna, Willie and wife Holly, Elwyn and wife Pam and Wyman and wife Shonda McCleskey, and Justin and Jason Ham; six grandchildren, Chris, Mike, Carissa, Dustin, Jacee, and Cody Crump; 19 step-grandchildren, Colby, Dillon, Justin, Klaiton, Heath, Kade, Jasmine, Kadee, Lilly, Casey, Cooper, Ryan, Bree, and Kayla McCleskey, Nash Baker, Cameron Rich, and Rustin, Reagan and Rance Ham; 27 great-grandchildren, and step-grands with one more due September 20th; sisters-in-law, Dolores Crump, Lucy Poole, Janette and Jerry Wagner, Sondra and Ronald Hatcher; brother-in-law, Carl and Christy Cox; daughter-in-laws, Deana Crump, and Buckie Crump; his favorite niece, Charla Crump, Helen Reyes, and his brother Virgil's three daughters; and nephew, Larry Crump, Jr. He leaves behind a whole slew of friends that he had made through his 84 years. His friends Dallas and Elisabeth Moore that tried in vain to make a sheep lover out of him. Morris did love his goats though.
Morris knew Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and his greatest wish was that all his family and friends would come to really know God. He said the morning of the day he died only by God's great mercy he had lived this long. I know I need to put an end to this, but I'll not put a period here for it's not over and ended, Morris has just begun to live
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Community Fellowship Missionary Fund or Clarendon Masonic Lodge #700 PO Box 932 Clarendon, TX 79226.
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