From his father: We buried our son Charlie Crane last Thursday, April 11th, 2019. The prior Friday I had taken the day off to celebrate Betsy and my 39th anniversary when we got a call from the coroner's office in Columbia, South Carolina, giving us the word that Charlie's body had been found behind a local restaurant. We were told that the cause of death appeared to be blunt force head trauma and was being investigated as a homicide.
Of course, we were devastated. Since we had gotten a similar call in the past which turned out to be incorrect, we called the coroner back and had them give a description of the body. It was our son.
Charlie was a homeless alcoholic. While I will not sugarcoat his story, his life did have meaning and purpose. He did some awful things and hurt a lot of people. He was also caring and compassionate. If he had a dollar and you needed it, he would give it to you. On the other hand, if you had a dollar and he wanted it, he would take it.
He was our first-born son, arriving in this world on August 13, 1983. He had a normal upbringing with two parents who love each other, a brother, Cory Crane, who idolized him as a child (he coined the term "Right, Charlie?") and a sister, Isabella Harter. He was brought up going to church every Sunday and went to Christian school through the 9th grade.
From birth his mother and I recognized a special anointing on him, and we still know he had a special calling from God. He made a confession of faith in Jesus as a little boy which he was not hesitant to share, becoming the evangelist to all the neighborhood kids. He never met a stranger, to the point it was almost embarrassing to his mother and me as he said hi, hello, how are you to everyone he met.
Something went wrong in his early teens. He became rebellious. He ran away frequently. He got kicked out of the Christian school he was attending. When it became apparent that he wasn't going to stay at home, we sent him to Teen Challenge. Even though he stayed longer than the normal one-year program, it was not effective. He came back more troubled than he went. And while we did allow him to stay with us at first, he would still run away, and finally we had to make the decision he could no longer live with us.
After being in and out of trouble during the next several years, he settled down, got married and became a father to a beautiful daughter. That didn't last long. After trouble with the law and a divorce, he became homeless and for the past 15 years or so drifted around the country, sometimes working, sometimes in jail, but mostly living on the streets. He attempted many rehab programs, but usually lasted only a week or two before he would quit. He didn't want to be "controlled".
While we would occasionally go long periods of time not hearing from him, he was pretty good at bumming a cell phone and giving us a call. Sometimes he was so drunk we couldn't understand him, but almost always he would tell us he loved us, and we would make sure he knew we loved him.
Then on Thursday, April 4th someone took his life.
While we are devastated to lose our first-born son, we have never felt more loved by our Father. We got an email from a sweet lady in Columbia, SC who is making a documentary on the homeless. She told us how Charlie had assured her that he loved us, and knew we loved him. She shared how his homeless friends told of his deep love of the Lord, a faith he shared with other homeless people, who often doubt that there is a God.
I got a message from Scott Lee, a friend I haven't seen in over 30 years asking if he could call. He did, telling me that he is the music minister at Shandon Baptist Church which is located near where the body was found. He told me the church had ministered to Charlie the day before he died. I got a call from Mindy Jamison who is over the homeless ministry from the church. She wanted me to know that Charlie was a joy to be with, that they shared a meal together and fellowshipped. She said he shared his faith, as well as telling about his love for his family. Charlie asked her if she knew who Jonah was. He told her that he was Jonah, running from the Lord but was ready to start following his calling and agreed to enter a program sponsored by the church. She said they genuinely had a great time together and confirmed that he would be back at the church the following Monday for the rehab program. Unfortunately, that Monday never came for him.
We have experienced miracles and blessings since we got the news of our son. Between Shandon Baptist Church and the local funeral home they recommended, Shives Funeral Home, the Columbia funeral expenses as well as flight to get our son were covered. The local funeral home and cemetery were very compassionate and reduced their costs for us. Friends and family have been wonderful as well.
Charlie, I love you son. I will meet you by the waterfall.
http://shandon.org/blog/giving-out-of-nothing/?
fbclid=IwAR03Wlj7LI4K6DP7YVyNxpnVKv2Xfoso-IGkbfGGZ2oub-CFXCcBW4rs1Co
Contributor: Jamie M (49144744)
Of course, we were devastated. Since we had gotten a similar call in the past which turned out to be incorrect, we called the coroner back and had them give a description of the body. It was our son.
Charlie was a homeless alcoholic. While I will not sugarcoat his story, his life did have meaning and purpose. He did some awful things and hurt a lot of people. He was also caring and compassionate. If he had a dollar and you needed it, he would give it to you. On the other hand, if you had a dollar and he wanted it, he would take it.
He was our first-born son, arriving in this world on August 13, 1983. He had a normal upbringing with two parents who love each other, a brother, Cory Crane, who idolized him as a child (he coined the term "Right, Charlie?") and a sister, Isabella Harter. He was brought up going to church every Sunday and went to Christian school through the 9th grade.
From birth his mother and I recognized a special anointing on him, and we still know he had a special calling from God. He made a confession of faith in Jesus as a little boy which he was not hesitant to share, becoming the evangelist to all the neighborhood kids. He never met a stranger, to the point it was almost embarrassing to his mother and me as he said hi, hello, how are you to everyone he met.
Something went wrong in his early teens. He became rebellious. He ran away frequently. He got kicked out of the Christian school he was attending. When it became apparent that he wasn't going to stay at home, we sent him to Teen Challenge. Even though he stayed longer than the normal one-year program, it was not effective. He came back more troubled than he went. And while we did allow him to stay with us at first, he would still run away, and finally we had to make the decision he could no longer live with us.
After being in and out of trouble during the next several years, he settled down, got married and became a father to a beautiful daughter. That didn't last long. After trouble with the law and a divorce, he became homeless and for the past 15 years or so drifted around the country, sometimes working, sometimes in jail, but mostly living on the streets. He attempted many rehab programs, but usually lasted only a week or two before he would quit. He didn't want to be "controlled".
While we would occasionally go long periods of time not hearing from him, he was pretty good at bumming a cell phone and giving us a call. Sometimes he was so drunk we couldn't understand him, but almost always he would tell us he loved us, and we would make sure he knew we loved him.
Then on Thursday, April 4th someone took his life.
While we are devastated to lose our first-born son, we have never felt more loved by our Father. We got an email from a sweet lady in Columbia, SC who is making a documentary on the homeless. She told us how Charlie had assured her that he loved us, and knew we loved him. She shared how his homeless friends told of his deep love of the Lord, a faith he shared with other homeless people, who often doubt that there is a God.
I got a message from Scott Lee, a friend I haven't seen in over 30 years asking if he could call. He did, telling me that he is the music minister at Shandon Baptist Church which is located near where the body was found. He told me the church had ministered to Charlie the day before he died. I got a call from Mindy Jamison who is over the homeless ministry from the church. She wanted me to know that Charlie was a joy to be with, that they shared a meal together and fellowshipped. She said he shared his faith, as well as telling about his love for his family. Charlie asked her if she knew who Jonah was. He told her that he was Jonah, running from the Lord but was ready to start following his calling and agreed to enter a program sponsored by the church. She said they genuinely had a great time together and confirmed that he would be back at the church the following Monday for the rehab program. Unfortunately, that Monday never came for him.
We have experienced miracles and blessings since we got the news of our son. Between Shandon Baptist Church and the local funeral home they recommended, Shives Funeral Home, the Columbia funeral expenses as well as flight to get our son were covered. The local funeral home and cemetery were very compassionate and reduced their costs for us. Friends and family have been wonderful as well.
Charlie, I love you son. I will meet you by the waterfall.
http://shandon.org/blog/giving-out-of-nothing/?
fbclid=IwAR03Wlj7LI4K6DP7YVyNxpnVKv2Xfoso-IGkbfGGZ2oub-CFXCcBW4rs1Co
Contributor: Jamie M (49144744)
From his father: We buried our son Charlie Crane last Thursday, April 11th, 2019. The prior Friday I had taken the day off to celebrate Betsy and my 39th anniversary when we got a call from the coroner's office in Columbia, South Carolina, giving us the word that Charlie's body had been found behind a local restaurant. We were told that the cause of death appeared to be blunt force head trauma and was being investigated as a homicide.
Of course, we were devastated. Since we had gotten a similar call in the past which turned out to be incorrect, we called the coroner back and had them give a description of the body. It was our son.
Charlie was a homeless alcoholic. While I will not sugarcoat his story, his life did have meaning and purpose. He did some awful things and hurt a lot of people. He was also caring and compassionate. If he had a dollar and you needed it, he would give it to you. On the other hand, if you had a dollar and he wanted it, he would take it.
He was our first-born son, arriving in this world on August 13, 1983. He had a normal upbringing with two parents who love each other, a brother, Cory Crane, who idolized him as a child (he coined the term "Right, Charlie?") and a sister, Isabella Harter. He was brought up going to church every Sunday and went to Christian school through the 9th grade.
From birth his mother and I recognized a special anointing on him, and we still know he had a special calling from God. He made a confession of faith in Jesus as a little boy which he was not hesitant to share, becoming the evangelist to all the neighborhood kids. He never met a stranger, to the point it was almost embarrassing to his mother and me as he said hi, hello, how are you to everyone he met.
Something went wrong in his early teens. He became rebellious. He ran away frequently. He got kicked out of the Christian school he was attending. When it became apparent that he wasn't going to stay at home, we sent him to Teen Challenge. Even though he stayed longer than the normal one-year program, it was not effective. He came back more troubled than he went. And while we did allow him to stay with us at first, he would still run away, and finally we had to make the decision he could no longer live with us.
After being in and out of trouble during the next several years, he settled down, got married and became a father to a beautiful daughter. That didn't last long. After trouble with the law and a divorce, he became homeless and for the past 15 years or so drifted around the country, sometimes working, sometimes in jail, but mostly living on the streets. He attempted many rehab programs, but usually lasted only a week or two before he would quit. He didn't want to be "controlled".
While we would occasionally go long periods of time not hearing from him, he was pretty good at bumming a cell phone and giving us a call. Sometimes he was so drunk we couldn't understand him, but almost always he would tell us he loved us, and we would make sure he knew we loved him.
Then on Thursday, April 4th someone took his life.
While we are devastated to lose our first-born son, we have never felt more loved by our Father. We got an email from a sweet lady in Columbia, SC who is making a documentary on the homeless. She told us how Charlie had assured her that he loved us, and knew we loved him. She shared how his homeless friends told of his deep love of the Lord, a faith he shared with other homeless people, who often doubt that there is a God.
I got a message from Scott Lee, a friend I haven't seen in over 30 years asking if he could call. He did, telling me that he is the music minister at Shandon Baptist Church which is located near where the body was found. He told me the church had ministered to Charlie the day before he died. I got a call from Mindy Jamison who is over the homeless ministry from the church. She wanted me to know that Charlie was a joy to be with, that they shared a meal together and fellowshipped. She said he shared his faith, as well as telling about his love for his family. Charlie asked her if she knew who Jonah was. He told her that he was Jonah, running from the Lord but was ready to start following his calling and agreed to enter a program sponsored by the church. She said they genuinely had a great time together and confirmed that he would be back at the church the following Monday for the rehab program. Unfortunately, that Monday never came for him.
We have experienced miracles and blessings since we got the news of our son. Between Shandon Baptist Church and the local funeral home they recommended, Shives Funeral Home, the Columbia funeral expenses as well as flight to get our son were covered. The local funeral home and cemetery were very compassionate and reduced their costs for us. Friends and family have been wonderful as well.
Charlie, I love you son. I will meet you by the waterfall.
http://shandon.org/blog/giving-out-of-nothing/?
fbclid=IwAR03Wlj7LI4K6DP7YVyNxpnVKv2Xfoso-IGkbfGGZ2oub-CFXCcBW4rs1Co
Contributor: Jamie M (49144744)
Of course, we were devastated. Since we had gotten a similar call in the past which turned out to be incorrect, we called the coroner back and had them give a description of the body. It was our son.
Charlie was a homeless alcoholic. While I will not sugarcoat his story, his life did have meaning and purpose. He did some awful things and hurt a lot of people. He was also caring and compassionate. If he had a dollar and you needed it, he would give it to you. On the other hand, if you had a dollar and he wanted it, he would take it.
He was our first-born son, arriving in this world on August 13, 1983. He had a normal upbringing with two parents who love each other, a brother, Cory Crane, who idolized him as a child (he coined the term "Right, Charlie?") and a sister, Isabella Harter. He was brought up going to church every Sunday and went to Christian school through the 9th grade.
From birth his mother and I recognized a special anointing on him, and we still know he had a special calling from God. He made a confession of faith in Jesus as a little boy which he was not hesitant to share, becoming the evangelist to all the neighborhood kids. He never met a stranger, to the point it was almost embarrassing to his mother and me as he said hi, hello, how are you to everyone he met.
Something went wrong in his early teens. He became rebellious. He ran away frequently. He got kicked out of the Christian school he was attending. When it became apparent that he wasn't going to stay at home, we sent him to Teen Challenge. Even though he stayed longer than the normal one-year program, it was not effective. He came back more troubled than he went. And while we did allow him to stay with us at first, he would still run away, and finally we had to make the decision he could no longer live with us.
After being in and out of trouble during the next several years, he settled down, got married and became a father to a beautiful daughter. That didn't last long. After trouble with the law and a divorce, he became homeless and for the past 15 years or so drifted around the country, sometimes working, sometimes in jail, but mostly living on the streets. He attempted many rehab programs, but usually lasted only a week or two before he would quit. He didn't want to be "controlled".
While we would occasionally go long periods of time not hearing from him, he was pretty good at bumming a cell phone and giving us a call. Sometimes he was so drunk we couldn't understand him, but almost always he would tell us he loved us, and we would make sure he knew we loved him.
Then on Thursday, April 4th someone took his life.
While we are devastated to lose our first-born son, we have never felt more loved by our Father. We got an email from a sweet lady in Columbia, SC who is making a documentary on the homeless. She told us how Charlie had assured her that he loved us, and knew we loved him. She shared how his homeless friends told of his deep love of the Lord, a faith he shared with other homeless people, who often doubt that there is a God.
I got a message from Scott Lee, a friend I haven't seen in over 30 years asking if he could call. He did, telling me that he is the music minister at Shandon Baptist Church which is located near where the body was found. He told me the church had ministered to Charlie the day before he died. I got a call from Mindy Jamison who is over the homeless ministry from the church. She wanted me to know that Charlie was a joy to be with, that they shared a meal together and fellowshipped. She said he shared his faith, as well as telling about his love for his family. Charlie asked her if she knew who Jonah was. He told her that he was Jonah, running from the Lord but was ready to start following his calling and agreed to enter a program sponsored by the church. She said they genuinely had a great time together and confirmed that he would be back at the church the following Monday for the rehab program. Unfortunately, that Monday never came for him.
We have experienced miracles and blessings since we got the news of our son. Between Shandon Baptist Church and the local funeral home they recommended, Shives Funeral Home, the Columbia funeral expenses as well as flight to get our son were covered. The local funeral home and cemetery were very compassionate and reduced their costs for us. Friends and family have been wonderful as well.
Charlie, I love you son. I will meet you by the waterfall.
http://shandon.org/blog/giving-out-of-nothing/?
fbclid=IwAR03Wlj7LI4K6DP7YVyNxpnVKv2Xfoso-IGkbfGGZ2oub-CFXCcBW4rs1Co
Contributor: Jamie M (49144744)
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