On April 26, 2018, we lost a great example of someone who did what Jesus commanded - "love one another". Ute "Sue" Crews (née Neumann) died in a tragic car accident. Her entire life was invested in others. You could always tell that her greatest joy was to see others happy.

Ute Ingrid Neumann's life was a miracle in itself. She was born Feburary 1, 1942 in what was then called East Prussia, separated from her father during WWII, and passed to the hands of a stranger for several hours while boarding an overcrowded ship in her mother's attempt to make sure she survived the war (the first ship her mother had attempted to get them on sank). Ute's and her mother spent two years in a refugee camp in Denmark before finally moving to Trier, Germany.

After high school, she was employed at Bitburg Air Base where she met a young Air Force Lieutenant from Colmesneil, TX. She married James A. Crews on October 7, 1961 in Trier. He brought her to this country separated by thousands of miles of water from her parents. For many years, she wrote home every single day to fulfill a promise to her parents.

Living in Germany, Oklahoma, Illinois, Louisiana, and West Virginia, with frequent trips to Texas, she made friends everywhere, and her house was always open to receive others. She worked tirelessly to ensure guests felt at home and were comfortable and well-fed.

Sue enjoyed the simple, yet beautiful things like sunshine, flowers, fresh air, and the sounds of the birds, but most of all, the sound of children at play. Among her most treasured times were those spent playing games - especially with her grandchildren. Laughter was ever-present. She appreciated the best of culture - books, music, dance, and the like, but those things never superseded her love for others.

To forever support one of the causes Sue cared so much for, her husband, James, started the Ute "Sue" Crews Memorial Fund to forever support the Mid-Ohio Valley Symphony Society.