James Wheeler Crook, III

May 31, 2022

James “Jimmy” Wheeler Crook III died on Friday, May 27 th at the age of 71. He is preceded in death by his parents, James Wheeler Crook Jr and Mattie Lou Brantley Crook. Mr. Crook is survived by his wife of 48 years, Carol Edwards Crook of Brewton; his sisters, Deborah Crook Ray (Joe) of Montrose and Patricia Crook Threadgill (Bill) of Pensacola; his children, Carey Crook Miller (Jamie) of Huntsville, Lindsey Crook Cranford (Alex) of Newnan, and J. Wheeler Crook IV (Laura) of Montgomery; as well as nine grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
Mr. Crook was a devoted citizen and community advocate for his hometown of Atmore. He served as a longstanding board member and ultimately as the President of the Atmore Chamber of Commerce; as a board member of the Escambia County Industrial Development Authority; as Finance Board Chair at the Atmore First United Methodist Church; and President, Treasurer and Board Member of the Atmore chapter of the Lions Club. As a result of his service, he received the prestigious Lions Club Melvin Jones Fellowship Award. Mr. Crook was a certified public accountant and retired from his position as partner at Waller, Crook, & Jones after over forty years of ardent commitment to his clients and their families; he was passionate about guiding and influencing others during good times and bad.
Mr. Crook met his wife while they were both students at Auburn University where he served as President of Pi Kappa Alpha. He could almost always be found wearing his favorite Auburn ball cap, a tribute not only to his time at Auburn but also to his lifelong love of the outdoors and to sports of all kinds. He spent countless hours coaching his children and teaching them his famous hook shot in basketball or the best way to get a base hit; he never missed a game. Mr. Crook loved to be in the quiet of nature: hunting, fishing, bird watching, or taking care of his yard. While he was generally a man of few words, his Valentine’s Day poems and wedding toasts always struck the perfect chord: sometimes rhyming, sometimes embarrassing, sometimes funny… but always touching and personal. He loved to rock babies, throw toddlers in the air, and teach his grandchildren to fish or wrestle.

Family and friends will gather Graveside at Oak Hill Cemetery on Tuesday, May 31, 2022 at 1:00pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Atmore Public Library, your local library, or to www.alz.org.

Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under Obituaries