KNOX — Loretta H. Crewell was a warm and kind person who cared about her family and her church above everything. She died on Friday, June 22, 2018, after a brief illness. She was 88.

Mrs. Crewell was born on July 11, 1929, in Gallupville, in Schoharie County, to LeRoy and Hazel (née Becker) Wright. Aside from briefly living in Schenectady, Mrs. Crewell lived in the Hilltowns all her life. Growing up, she tended to the family garden and attended Schoharie High School.

“She enjoyed the country,” said her son, Scott Crewell. “She enjoyed the peace and quiet.”

But life was not always easy for Mrs. Crewell. Her mother died when she was a baby. Her father, the town highway superintendent, later remarried, but for some time Mrs. Crewell’s sister Doris acted as a mother figure to her five siblings, and the two became close, said her son.

“I think she used her faith to know that she could get through anything,” he said.

A devout Christian, Mrs. Crewell was a longtime member of the Knox Reformed Church. She was also active as a volunteer at the Knox Nursery School, which is run by the church.

After high school, Mrs. Crewell went to work for the General Electric Company in Schenectady in its clerical department.

“It was at G.E. where she met my father,” said Mr. Crewell. Kenneth H. Crewell worked in a different building but ran into her while she was walking home one day, said their son. They married on Jan. 13, 1951.

“I don’t think there were two people that were more caring for one another than my mom and dad,” said Mr. Crewell.

One stunning example of teamwork: When the elder Mr. Crewell lost his leg due to an infection of an old injury, he no longer could ride his motorcycle due to the lack of balance. Mrs. Crewell, who had always perched behind him, then rode in a sidecar attached to his motorcycle so he would be balanced. Mr. Crewell also hooked up the braking mechanism to the opposite side of the bike, and the two would cruise all over the region, despite some teasing by Mrs. Crewell.

“She was a really tiny lady … ,” said her son. “Her head barely stuck up by the windshield.”

After they were married, Mrs. Crewell and her husband moved to Schenectady, but soon the two Hilltowners decided to move to Knox.

“They really liked the country better,” said Mr. Crewell.

Mrs. Crewell worked for General Electric for 17 years before she devoted herself to raising her family. Her son said they did everything together as a family.

“We went fishing together, we went camping together, we spent all our time together,” said Mr. Crewell. He added, when it came to fishing, “Usually Mom had better luck than the rest of us.”

The family often would load the station wagon and take a sightseeing trip with no real destination in mind, said Mr. Crewell. Sometimes it was to Middleburgh; sometimes it was to Ravena. They also enjoyed staying on Saranac Lake, and one of their longest trips was to South Carolina with Mrs. Crewell’s sister Doris, where they stopped at many campsites.

Later in life, Mrs. Crewell enjoyed the company of her son’s dog, Peanut, an English mastiff, which she loved to brush, take for walks, and take care of.

Mrs. Crewell truly loved her community, said her son. She checked in on her neighbors or delivered them home-baked goods. He said that she enjoyed staying in the area where she had grown up, and she liked being close to those in her community.

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Loretta H. Crewell is survived by her son, Scott Crewell, and his wife, Mindy, of Berne; her stepson, Kenneth H. Crewell Jr., and his wife, Hinda, of Camillus, New York; her grandchildren, Meghan and Sarah Crewell; and Kevin Crewell and Carly Lynn; her great-grandson, Caden Awad; as well as several nieces and nephews.

A private funeral service was held for immediate family at the Langan Funeral Home in Schoharie, with interment in the Gallupville Rural Cemetery. Mourners may leave condolences online at www.langanfuneralhome.com.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Knox Reformed Church, 2175 Berne-Altamont Rd., Knox, NY 12107.

— H. Rose Schneider