Mark Crump

Date of Birth

Mar 05,1943

Date of Death

Apr 17,2020

Mark Crump, age 77 of Muskego, WI (formerly of Elburn, IL) passed away April 17, 2020, at the Tudor Oaks Senior Living Community.
Mark was born in Sherman, Texas on March 5, 1943 to James Marion Crump and Marilyn McKnight Crump. His father worked for Southwestern Bell and moved the family many times through Texas, Arkansas and Missouri. Throughout his entire childhood Mark was very involved in scouting and, along with his brother Peter, earned the rank of Eagle Scout and was elected into “The Order of the Arrow”. He was proud to see his son Jim achieve the same rank, and would have been proud to witness his grandson William doing the same.

Mark graduated from Webster Groves High School in 1961, where he met and fell in love with Barbara Virginia Ens. He went on to receive a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University, graduating in 1965. While attending Purdue, he and Barbara got married and spent their final 2 years of college together. During the summers they would both work for the Badlands National Park as sales associates for the souvenir shops, where they developed a passion for First Nation artwork.

After College the two moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin so he could work at Rex Chain-belt (now Rexnord) where his grandfather had once been the CEO. He went to work in the waste-water treatment division which would turn into a life-long career path.

It was in Milwaukee that Mark and Barbara had 2 children: Ann born in 1967 and James Matthew born in 1969. The family moved around a fair amount living in Sterling, IL and St. Charles, IL before finally settling in Elburn, IL in 1979.

Mark eventually went into business forming a company with Bruce Doyle, and then later with Tom Spaulding. Over the years many companies were formed including Great Lakes Aqua Sales and Service (GLASS) and JetMix, that served the clean and waste-water treatment needs of municipalities and commercial applications. Mark was an industrious entrepreneur owning patents for mixing systems that he either co-invented with Bruce Doyle, or invented solo.

He was very active in his children’s lives. He became very involved in soccer, becoming President of the Tri-Cities Soccer Association for a term. He refereed games for more than 10 years. Along with his friend Bill Carley he coached his daughter’s soccer team and nick-named them “the Mud Ducks” because he was proud of the way they would charge through mud or water to get the ball.

He became Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 7 of Elburn, IL where many of his scouts, including his son, achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He led trips to the Boundary Waters, The Current River and many other trips. He was so dedicated that he took 9 boys backpacking in the mountains of New Mexico, at Philmont Scout Ranch, as the only adult on the trip.

He was also very interested in genealogy, tracing the family history back many generations. Barbara and he would drive across the country seeking out old gravestones and church records, along with online research. He found ancestors that had been on the Mayflower, and others that had been carpenters for Gen. George Washington’s personal home.

When their children were grown, Mark and Barbara became heavily involved with their church, Fox Valley Presbyterian Church (FVPC). They would host so many large gatherings and dinner parties for the church family that their house was affectionately known by friends as “Fox Valley Presbyterian – West”. Both Mark and Barbara became “Stephen Ministers”, and helped with Stephen Ministry training. A Stephen Minister is a person trained to provide one-to-one, Christ-centered care to hurting people. Through FVPC Mark was also involved with the Guatemalan Team of Living Waters for the World, an international organization ensuring that people in less developed nations have access to clean drinking water.

Mark was also proud of being a member of the Elgin Choral Union for a few years (now called the Elgin Master Chorale).

When Barbara passed in December of 2013, he moved to Muskego, Wisconsin to be closer to family. While at Tudor Oaks, Mark enjoyed participating in the Men’s Choir.

Mark suffered many health issues throughout his life. A heart murmur thought to be harmless caused a massive heart attack in his 40’s. He was saved by his business partner, Bruce Doyle, performing CPR on him. However he did suffer some brain trauma, which as he aged led to problems with seizures and strokes. His family often joked that “The Cat Union” was calling to complain because he had used up more than his allotted “9 lives”. These issues would eventually lead to dementia and his passing.

Mark is survived by his daughter Ann (Ken) Johnson of Evanston, IL, son James Matthew (Kristen) Crump of Muskego, WI, grandchildren Virginia Lynn (Kyle) Smith, Casper Meade Crump and James William Crump, brother Peter (Connie) Crump of St. Louis, MO, sister Lynn Dale of Rockledge, FL, and niece Jessica Harris.

He is preceded in death by his wife Barbara Ens Crump and parents Marilyn McKnight Crump and James Marion Crump
In lieu of flowers and gifts, donations can be made to the efforts in Guatemala for Living Waters for the World, by either by sending a check to Fox Valley Presbyterian and designating “for Living Waters Guatemala in memory of J Mark Crump”, or by giving directly online to http://www.livingwatersfortheworld.org/ as a “gift in memory” on behalf of “J Mark Crump” with a designation to “Guatemala Network”. Arrangements were handled with care by Conley Funeral Home.

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