1966 Roar R. L. Turner High School Carrollton, Dallas Co., Texas Senior Class   OBITUARY   City leaders mourn loss of Crabtree Written by Bobby Vasquez. Posted in News Former City Manager Ron Crabtree died Monday evening. He was 66. Crabtree is being remembered by city leaders past and present as a hands-on leader who guided the city through prosperous and difficult times in a 22-year tenure. "Ron related well employees and council," said former Mayor Wayne Riddle. "It's not often that you see a city manager stay somewhere for 22 years." Deer Park operates as a council-manager government, which is common in smaller cities. Crabtree became city manager in 1988 and stayed at the helm until his retirement Feb. 28, 2010. "He had a good relationship with councilmembers. He worked well with everyone," Riddle said. "He always had the facts and was always well-prepared for what he presented to council." Assistant City Manager Gary Jackson had a unique perspective of Crabtree's tenure. He was the city manager of Baytown before coming to Deer Park in March of 2007. "Mr. Crabtree was very well known and well respected by city managers in the area, state and the nation," Jackson said. "All of us, the other city managers, saw Ron as the consummate professional. He always knew the right thing to say, never jumped to conclusions and always had every issue well-researched." Jackson said Crabtree's leadership and penchant for the greater good steered the city through difficult times. "Ron was the gyroscope on a ship at sea. When the seas got rough, he kept things headed in the right direction. When from the outside it looked like chaos, he kept a sense of direction and kept the city of Deer Park moving forward," he said. "Things didn't look good for us when we had a couple of economic downturns in our region," Riddle said. "He oversaw difficult times and had to make difficult decisions. He made sure we stayed within our budget. He was always very level headed and a joy to work with. He made sure the city was well-run." With 22 years at the helm of the city, Jackson said Crabtree added stability to the city. "He was a great leader and a great listener," he said. "He would listen to the concerns of council on matters and suggest a workable solution that everyone could live with. "I never saw him try to push a decision on council. He gave them the information, answered their questions and let them make their decisions. He was never a braggart or a boisterous man. He was just a quiet professional person," Jackson said. When Crabtree retired from the city, he took a consulting position with KSA Associates. He retired from KSA in August of last year. Visitation will be Thursday at Grandview Funeral Home, 8501 Spencer Hwy from 6 to 8 p.m. Services will be at Grandview on Friday at 2 p.m. with burial to follow. Inside Deer Park - Friday, June 6, 2014 OBITUARY   In Memory of Ronald Vance Crabtree August 28, 1948 - June 2, 2014 Obituary Ronald (Ron) Vance Crabtree, 65, passed away suddenly on Monday, June 2, 2014 in his hometown of Pearland. Ron was born August 1948 in Marshalltown, Iowa. He moved to Dallas, TX in 1963. He graduated from Texas A & M with a degree in Construction Science Class of 1970. In that same year he married Doris Martin. He went on to get a Masters degree in Urban Planning in 1972. In 1972 Ron became the Assistant City Planner for the City of Austin, TX. In 1973 he accepted the job of City Planner in Orange, TX and eventually the Assistant City Manger. In 1984 he took the job of City Manager of Burleson, TX. 1988 brought Ron to Deer Park, TX as City Manager, where, after 23 years, he retired from civil service. He then spent the next 3 years working for KSA Engineering. Ron was an active member of the Bay Area Texas A & M Club. He also served on numbers committees and boards. Ron is survived by his wife Doris, his daughter and son-in-law Kristie and Charlie Brotherton, his sons Ronald and Andrew, father and stepmother Ed and Louise Crabtree, his brothers, Mike Crabtree, Terry Crabtree, Tim Crabtree and Randy Crabtree as well as 8 nephews and 8 nieces. Visitation will be at Grand View Funeral Home in Pasadena, TX on Thursday, June 5, 2014 from 6 – 8. Funeral service will also be held at Grand View Funeral Home on Friday, June 6, 2014 at 2:00 pm.   ARTICLES Crabtree stepping down as Deer Park city manager For just over 21 years, city manager Ron Crabtree has been at the helm of operations for the city of Deer Park. In that time, Crabtree’s overseen many city improvements and has been key to coordinating city staff and resources in tending to the needs of the city. Crabtree and his family relocated from Burleson, which is a suburb of Fort Worth. While in Burleson, Crabtree was city manager for four years. When recounting his family’s transition to Deer Park, “When we came to Deer Park, we were excited about the opportunity presented to us. Deer Park as a city represented a great opportunity for me.” Crabtree also explains that the Deer Park school district and their exemplary performance history made the relocation even more attractive for his wife, who was a school teacher. In describing his experiences over the years with city staff, “The level of commitment these folks have to providing the services they provide is significant. Other places I’ve worked, people have not been as eager to get out on the weekends or after-hours to do the kinds of things that need to be done in order to take care of concerns or conditions that are affecting residents.” Crabtree and his staff are not only responsible for addressing infrastructure issues with the city, but are also responsible for constructing and then presenting a yearly budget to the mayor and council. Maintaining a certain level of solvency is paramount when running a city in order for the city to pay its debts and maintain necessary services to the residents of the city. “We have worked very hard over the years to build financial security for the city to achieve certain financial benchmarks. Within the last couple of years, we have been able to do that by maintaining adequate reserves in all of our operating funds. It’s taken a while to get to that point, but we have been able to finally do that,” said Crabtree. w Working along side Crabtree during his tenure with the city, Deer Park Mayor Wayne Riddle expressed his thoughts about Crabtree’s decision to retire from the city. “We’re really sad to hear that he’s leaving because Ron has been a tremendous asset to the city,” said Riddle. “Ron’s going to be hard to replace.” Deer Park Councilman Jeff Pound has worked with Crabtree during the last year he’s served on council and remarks on his interactions with Crabtree while discussing the business of the city. “I ask a lot of questions, he doesn’t always have an answer for me, but he always gets back to me with the answer and the backup material that I have requested for the answer he gives me. If he doesn’t know the answer, he knows where to get it,” said Pound. “Ron’s sharp and he’s always maintained professionalism.” Taking his collective 21 years of experience with city management with him, Crabtree’s future looks bright. “Well I’m excited about it. It was a tough decision to decide to leave Deer Park. I’ve got a lot invested here; my family has a lot invested here but I have always had it in the back of my mind, that before I permanently retire, I might want to try to do something different,” said Crabtree. “I wasn’t looking for this opportunity, but it came along and it gives me the opportunity to stay plugged in with people I have worked with over my career.” After his official retirement date, Feb. 26, Crabtree is set to take the reigns as a business development representative with KSA Engineers Inc. where he will be based out of their Sugar Land office. KSA Engineers Inc. is a traditional civil engineering firm in that they address the typical street, drainage and infrastructure needs of municipalities; something Crabtree has considerable knowledge in. Currently, the city of Deer Park has not officially embarked on advertising for Crabtree’s future replacement but according to Mayor Riddle, that endeavor is forthcoming. All candidates will go though the city’s human resources department and then vetted through the city council until a fully qualified candidate is found.     CRABTREE Ronald V. - Aug 28, 1948 - Jun 2, 2014 Doris E. - Apr. 7, 1948 - BLANK Grand View Memorial Park, Pasadena, Harris County, Texas   Notes: In Memoriam - R. L. Turner High School - Class of 1966 Grand View Memorial Park, Pasadena, Harris County, Texas Find-A-Grave Memorial #131380855