---

STEVE  CROWE


 

Steve Crowe, 48, of Murphy died Monday (March 31, 2008) in an Atlanta, GA hospital.  He was a native and lifelong resident of Cherokee County and the son of Marie Arp Crowe of Murphy and the late Frank Jackson Crowe. He was married to his high school sweetheart, Teresa Jo Laney Crowe. They met in 1976 while attending Hiwassee Dam High School.  They were married December 5, 1980 at the Hopewell Baptist Church, west of Murphy.  
 
He was the President and owner of Steve Crowe Contracting since 1981, specializing in excavating and land developing.  In 1985, he founded Appalachian Land Company; a family owned Murphy Real Estate Company of which he served as Broker and President, even currently alongside his wife, Jo.  
 
Steve served on the Board of Directors for Home Bank, now BB&T, for several years and was involved in many, many other community and civic organizations.
 
For many years, he and his family’s home church was First Baptist Church of Murphy.  He was also actively involved in the Lighthouse Full Gospel Center and Lighthouse Christian Academy in Blairsville along with Living Word Christian Fellowship in Hayesville.  Steve was a member of the Gideons International.
 
He loved helping people and his personal mission was “to do as much good as he could possibly do for as many people as he possibly could”. Steve was a man of great faith and loved seeing the Kingdom of God advanced.  He loved church planting and expansion.
 
He was an avid outdoorsman and loved hunting, fishing, and camping with his wife and children.  Steve loved spending time with his family and his greatest earthly treasures were his four children.
 
Besides his father, a sister, Janet Crowe and his father-in-law, Charles Laney also preceded Steve in death.
 
Surviving, in addition to his mother, are his wife of 27 years, Teresa Jo Laney Crowe; four children, Stephen Jacob Crowe, Jared Lucas Crowe, Joseph Weston Crowe, and Jesselyn Laney Crowe all of the home; a sister, Jean Twiggs of Murphy; two brothers, Mike Crowe and Dale Crowe both of Rifle, CO; his mother-in-law, Faye Laney of Murphy; a sister-in-law, Kim Harris and husband, Tom of Alpharetta, GA; a brother-in-law, Erik Laney and wife, Allison of Murphy; and many nieces and nephews.  
 
Funeral services were held at 7:00 PM Thursday (April 3) in the Murphy First Baptist Church with the Revs. Brian Busch and Calvin Murphy officiating.  Interment was held in the Laney Family Cemetery.  Pallbearers were the men of Appalachian Land Company of Murphy: Randy Dockery, Joey Reid, Wayne Watson, Steven Hughes, Randy Sewell, Brian Horton, Dale Witting, Ron Halstead, Lee Barbour, and Jerry Holloway.
 
The family received friends from 5-6:45 Thursday evening at the Murphy First Baptist Church prior to the services.
 
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in loving memory of Steve to the Gideons International, PO Box 164, Murphy, NC 28906 or I Found Freedom International, c/o E. Randolph Sewell, 5510 West US 64, Murphy, NC 28906, a non-profit foundation founded by Steve Crowe in 1995 for the sole purpose of advancing the Kingdom of God or The Steve Crowe Children Trust Fund, c/o BB&T, 1911 US Highway 64 West, Murphy, NC 28906.
 
Ivie Funeral Home, Murphy in charge of all arrangements.
 

---