Growing up on a farm taught Jacob the value of hard work, which he transferred to his academic and athletic careers in high school and college. He played baseball at Daviess County High School, as an outfielder, for six years and ran with the Cross Country team for three. Though he was known to be a fierce competitor, Jacob most valued the brotherhood and relationships found as a part of a team. He loved spending time with his teammates and was grateful for the opportunity to experience baseball at a collegiate level.
When he wasn’t working on the farm or practicing baseball; Jacob could be found studying for his classes, playing video games, mowing yards for his customers, or spending time with family. He played hours of wiffle ball in the backyard of his grandparents’ house and endless games of basketball at his dad’s house, happily surrounded by family and friends ranging from “four-year olds” to “forty year-olds”. Somehow he even convinced his classmates to help haul hay and work in tobacco, showing them a glimpse into the daily life of a farmer.
Known for his vibrant smile and kind heart, Jacob was a friend to all. His deep-rooted faith was the source of his steady light that impacted those around him. Jacob’s kind nature, humble demeanor, and dry sense of humor made him an approachable teammate, classmate, and friend. He was well-loved and in return, loved deeply.
He is preceded in death by his grandparents, Herbert & Naomi Crabtree and his uncle, Dewayne Crabtree.
Survivors include his mother, Jessica Grimsley Jones (Ryan) and father, Mark Crabtree (Donna Clark); two sisters, Caitlin Elizabeth Crabtree and Jane Thomas Jones; grandparents, Tom & Sandy Grimsley and Tom & Shelly Jones; uncle, Gary Kirk; two aunts, Angela Crabtree and Melinda Grimsley, and several cousins, whom he loved like siblings.
Services will be at 11:00 am on Wednesday at Bellevue Baptist Church. Burial will be in Greenbrier Cemetery in Utica. Visitation is from 3:00-7:00 pm Tuesday at James H. Davis Funeral Home & Crematory and after 9:00 am Wednesday at Bellevue Baptist Church. Services will also be live-streamed.
Expressions of sympathy may take the form of donations to the Jacob Crabtree Memorial Scholarship through the Daviess County Teachers Federal Credit Union.