Mildred Crisp

Mildred Bruce Crisp, 99, of Glen Rose, Texas passed away on Friday, November 5, 2021 with family by her side.

Mildred was born on September 8, 1922 to Arthur William and Onnie Lee (Hock) Bruce in rural Somervell County near Glen Rose. The only child of farmers, she entered the world in a challenging time, but Mildred would forever remember fondly the memories she made at the Bruce homestead. Part of coming of age in difficult circumstances and in a difficult time meant learning how to be fiercely independent.

Without siblings to lean on, a young Mildred endured the Great Depression with grit and determinism, and came out on the other side as a capable and resilient young woman. These were values she would carry with her for the rest of her life. For example, before school buses had reached eastern Somervell County, Mildred would walk over two miles everyday to attend the 1st through the 8th grades in Rainbow. Her self-confidence and can-do attitude clearly had their origins early on.

After attending and graduating from Glen Rose High School in 1941, she met D.R. Crisp. Quickly falling in love, the two married on August 23, 1941, and in the coming years, they had four sons: David, Weldon, Charlie, and Michael. The house the couple built together in the George’s Creek area became the family home where Mildred and D.R. raised all four boys.

After the Glen Rose Hospital was constructed in 1972, Mildred took a job there running the kitchen.  Years later, when department head Mary Voss decided to retire, she approached Mildred about taking over the responsibilities of department head and dietician of all of the hospital’s food services. So she could complete the required certification for this career move, D.R. would drive Mildred each evening all the way from Glen Rose to Tarrant County College in Fort Worth where she studied and completed the necessary classes to set off on her new job.

Mildred was proud to serve the hospital and nursing home for more than 30 years. She was responsible for planning, ordering, and organizing the meals of all patients. She took particular pride in making elderly patients’ meals more pleasing than just tasteless, bland hospital food. Mildred loved her work and considered the many friends she made there her loving ‘work family.’ Many of those coworkers were surprised to learn Mildred was 85 when she finally retired in the late-2000s, and not 65.

Mildred was known for staying active in her later years. Still driving well into her 90s, she would famously make a weekly trip to Walnut Springs to have her hair done. She cherished her independence and was reluctant to stop making the effort to get out of the house at her age, a testament to the self-reliant personality she picked up early in life. For years she kept her adventurous spirit. Even in her 70s, Mildred was snowmobiling by herself during a family trip to New Mexico and hang-gliding with a co-worker over Glen Rose.

Mildred’s interests included collecting and traveling. The whole family knew about her dedicated collections of Coca-Cola merchandise and Beanie Babies, and she’d regularly take week-long bus trips with friends across the American South to places like New Orleans, Memphis, and Branson, Missouri. She was also a member of the Glen Rose chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star fraternal organization for many years.

Most of all she loved her family, and Mildred is lovingly remembered as Mamaw by her grandkids, great-grandkids, and great-great-grandkids. Getting visits from her family made for precious memories; she’d greet her boys and her family with a big, loving smile any time they stopped by. Mamaw’s house during the holidays was a particularly special place for her when her boys and grandkids could all gather together. She had a reputation for delicious, home-cooked meals on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.

Mildred was a good listener, a loyal friend, and a kind and considerate voice who had encouragement for all the people in her life. She was a hard worker and a force of nature. She will be remembered for her remarkable fortitude in her nearly one century of life.

During their marriage, Mildred and D.R. were proud members of the George’s Creek Church. In later years, Mildred remained a committed Christian. Amid health struggles and changes in mobility, she reiterated more than once to her boys that she was at peace and ready to be with God. She was unsure why He let her live so long, but confident He had a purpose. Friends and family might say that that purpose was to be a source of comfort to her loved ones for as long as she could.

Her boys are confident that she is finally resting, reunited with her family and her God in Heaven – but she will be missed tremendously.

On behalf of Mildred, her family would like to express their appreciation to the Glen Rose Nursing and Rehab Center for their nurture and care throughout her stay there.

Mildred was preceded in death by her parents, her husband David R. Crisp, Sr., son Michael Crisp, grandson Todd Crisp, and granddaughter Shelby (Crisp) Carpenter.

She is survived by her sons, David R. Crisp, Jr. (Gloria) of Weatherford, Texas, Weldon Crisp (Teresa) of Granbury, Texas, and Charlie Crisp (Vicki) of Glen Rose, Texas; eight grandchildren, Sheila, Rodney, Cullen, Sloan, Lydia, Kelsi, Michael and Cody; and numerous great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

Pallbearers will be Rodney Crisp, Cullen Crisp, Michael Crisp, Cody Crisp, Carson Crisp, and Dylan Brown.

Visitation will take place on Wednesday, November 10 from 6-8 p.m. at Wiley Funeral Home in Glen Rose.

Funeral services will be held the next day on Thursday, November 11 at 11 a.m. at Wiley Funeral Chapel in Glen Rose with Pastor Ronnie Shackelford officiating. Burial will follow at Squaw Creek Cemetery in Rainbow.