Obituary: Charmaine Yvonne Crossan Holbert

Charmaine Yvonne Crossan Holbert, 83, of Oak Ridge, died Thursday, March 27.

Charmaine was born in West Virginia on April 8, 1930. She was a true coal miner’s daughter of Thomas Edward Crossan, who died from a mine injury on April 30, 1935, and Lura “Helen” Webb Crossan, who died in 1999.

She was married to William (Bill) H. Holbert Sr. They had three sons, Thomas M. Holbert, James M. Holbert, and William (Billy) H. Holbert Jr.

She graduated high school from Warren Wilson in North Carolina.

She worked early in her life at Lee College of Cleveland, Tenn., but moved to Oak Ridge in 1959 with her husband and three young sons. That is where she worked until retirement on June 2, 1995, with the U.S. Department of Energy.

She was very involved with her son’s sports, music, acting, and activities, but really focused her life on serving Jesus Christ in all she did. She had been a member for most of her life with Heritage Fellowship Church, formally Oak Ridge Church of God, where she served in many areas. She loved to sing, dance, act in our church Easter dramas, serve at the Senior Center of Oak Ridge, play golf, and travel, to mention a few things. However, the true passion in her life was telling about her Savior, Jesus Christ. If you ever called and left a message you would hear, “This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it” before you could leave your message. She would never miss an opportunity to talk about Christ.

Charmaine is preceded in death by her first husband Bill Holbert, father Tom Crossan, mother Helen Crossan, and one son, Jim Holbert.

She is survived by son Tom and wife Kim Holbert of Augusta, Ga.; daughter-in-law Cheri Holbert of Eden, N.C., and son Billy and wife Teresa Holbert, of Oak Ridge; grandsons and granddaughters, Jimmy Holbert, Tiara and Ryan Reynolds, Amber and Robbie Boucher, Adrianne and Evan Cockerham, Jessica and Chris Russell, Danny and fiancée Rebecca Price Holbert; and eight great-grandchildren, James Reynolds, Charlotte and Liam Boucher, Drew, Tyler, Cody, Alex and Sean Russell.

A Celebration of Life service was held Sunday, March 30, with Pastor Paul Metler officiating. Interment followed at Oak Ridge Memorial Park.

The family asks in lieu of flowers, donation can be made to the Heritage Fellowship Youth Group. She so loved the life of young men and women and wants to see them grow in Christ.