John Hoke Croley

Funeral services for John"Hoke"Croley,78,Thomasville, will be Wednesday October 10, 2001 at 1:00 at the First Baptist Chapel. Where he was actively involved for many years after he accepted the Lord as his personal savior. Mr. Croley died @ Archbold Memorial Hospital on the morning of October 8, 2001 of heart failure. Rev. Dan Spencer, Rev. Don McMillan and Rev. Rick Jordan will officiate with burial in Laurel Hill Cemetery on Florida Street. US Air Force Honor Guard of Valdosta will provide full military honors. Mr. Croley was born on October 1, 1923. He loved spending time outdoors gardening, fishing, and entertaining friends with cook outs. Throughout the years after his time in the USAF, he worked with Colonial Warehouses, mamaged Bell Finance Co.,owned and operated the Waffle Shop and worked for the Farmers Market. He was the son of the late Linton W. Croley and the late Daisy Suber Croley. Prior marriage to Dollie Grace M. R. Anderson, and he later married Eugenia Milton Croley in 1965, who survives. Survivers also include daughter, Gloria (Sonny) Crapps of Jacksonville, Fl. and a grandson, John W. Crapps III, a granddaughter, Cindy (Lee) Brown and great-granddaughter, Cassidy Lee Brown of Jacksonville, Fl. and step-children, Marion Barnett, Rick Barnett, Pat Dixon, Peggy Wilson and 10 step-grandcildren. Sisters,Lavonia Sowell, Irene Barnes of Thomasville, and Corene Wetherington of Newberry, Fl.
He was proceded in death by a baby girl born dead, a son, Neil Allen Croley at age 5, and a sister, Nadine Sellars, brothers, Dudley, Roscoe, and P.C. Croley.
The family will recieve friends at Allen and Allen Funeral Home on Tuesday October 9, 2001 7-9p.m.

Staff Sargent John Hoke Croley, Veteran of the U.S.A.F.
Army/Air Force
While stationed near Kun Ming China, he is credited with earning an Air Medal with four clusters, also the Distinguished Flying Cross while flying 50 bombing missions as tail gunner on a B-24 Liberator which is a part of the Flying Tigers. Most combat was seen in Japanese-held territory in Southeast China and East China Sea. In addition, four flights were made over the Hump.



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