Published: June 13, 2009 05:59 pm      

FRANK CRABTREE

Throughout his lifetime, Frank Crabtree Sr. was known to eagerly embrace challenging missions that he knew would ultimately benefit his country and his community.

His many years of achievements, which spanned several continents, quietly ended Tuesday with his death at age 89 at his home.

The longtime Ada businessman was recognized during his lifetime for leadership skills as a community-spirited contributor, rancher, pilot, and chairman of the board and president of the Coca Cola and Dr. Pepper Bottling Co., of Ada, and the Shawnee Bottling Co.

Crabtree was born Aug. 29, 1919, to Wyley Ernest and Mable Riddle Crabtree, of Norman.

After graduating from Ada High School in 1938, he attended East Central University and later enrolled at the University of Oklahoma.

His collegiate career, however, was postponed for several years after he read a Collier’s magazine ad recruiting for the U.S. Army Air Corps. At the time, he was working on an oil rig and waiting tables at a sorority house during a summer break.

He joined the Air Corps and entered a flying cadet program in San Antonio, Texas. After completion of the program, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in April 1941. He completed command school at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, in 1949.

During World War II, he was in command of the 18th Bomb Squadron, stationed in Mendlesham, England. On the ground, he was commanding officer of the squadron; in the air, he was command pilot of a B-17 crew and led the wing in the division.

While in England, he was honored on April 4, 1945, with a leadership certificate from the 3rd Bomb Division, Eighth Air Force, after completing 25 operational missions over continental Europe, including combat formations over Germany, France and Belgium. The total number of missions flown under his leadership numbered more than 50, including two successful bombing runs during the Normandy invasion.

After the war, Crabtree returned to OU and finished a bachelor’s degree in business in 1950. He was recalled to the Air Force during the Korean War and assigned to the deputy inspector post of the 15th Air Force and later placed in command at Lincoln Air Force Base in Lincoln, Neb. He was honorably discharged at the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1954.

Back home, he purchased the Ada Coca Cola Bottling Co. in April 1972 and the Dr. Pepper Bottling Co. in Feb. 1984. The company built a new bottling plant under his leadership.

He remained an avid pilot during his lifetime, owning and flying several private airplanes, including an F-33 Beechcraft Bonanza.

In Ada, he donated his time and financial support to many civic causes, especially East Central University, where he was named an ECU Distinguished Alumnus in 1995. In 1999, he donated funds to create a formal entrance to the university, including a memorial plaza centered by a bronze tiger sculpture and waterfall fountain.

He and his family also established the Ada Coca Cola Scholarship in 1991, with a $100,000 pledge to the ECU Foundation. The funds provide more than 30 scholarships each year to high school graduates in the company’s franchise area, in addition to providing education materials for various schools.

He was preceded in death by his first wife, LeMoine Blake Crabtree.

Survivors include his wife, Sondra Crabtree, of the home; a brother, Donald Crabtree and wife Jeanne, New York City, N.Y.; a sister, Ruth Frye and husband Bruce, Lindsay; son, Tom Crabtree and wife Darlene, Ada; son, Frank Crabtree Jr. and wife Becky, Ada; daughter Agnes Lane and husband, Mike, Union Valley; daughter Francis Crabtree, Union Valley; grandchildren Blake Crabtree and wife, Melissa; Eryn Hanson and husband, Eric; Emily Fires and husband, Jason; Adam Crabtree, Luke Crabtree, Sarah Crabtree, Kate Crabtree, Clinton Lane and Alexander Lane, all of Ada; stepchildren Stacy Whelchel and husband, James, and their children Zack and Mikala; Drew Johnson and wife, Tammy and their children Ashton and Andrew, all of Ada; Jason Johnson and wife, Lisa, Austin, Texas; great-grandchildren, Carter Crabtree, Cole Crabtree, Sam Brown, Matthew Brown and Jaycob Gray.