Ulysses Sylvester Cribbs

Ulysses Sylvester Cribbs was born July 10, 1925, in Greene County, Arkansas on Friendship Road. He died at the age of 91 on January 7, 2017. Ulysses was proceeded in death by his father, Thomas Author Cribbs and mother, Maude Baron Greene-Cribbs, sister, Flora Gertrude Jones, brothers, Baron, J.D., Willis and Willie.

He is survived by his wife Annabelle Campbell-Cribbs of Paragould, Arkansas; sons, Danny Sylvester Cribbs of Gideon, Missouri, Larry Michael Cribbs of Owing, Maryland; brother, Thomas Edward Cribbs of Saratoga, California; seven grandchildren and fourteen great grandchildren.

He attended High School at Delaplaine High School before his military service in World War II. As a Merchant Marine he was wounded when his ship, while in the English Channel, was hit by a mine, three weeks after the Normandy invasion. Awarded the mariners commendation medal and released from the hospital in New York City, he returned home to Paragould, Arkansas.

At home in Paragould, he was drafted into the Navy, and after basic training assigned to 3rd special Sea Bee Battalion. His unit was ordered to Okinawa, in the Pacific, and was there when the Japan surrendered and the war ended.

Once he was discharged from the Navy and back home he enrolled at Arkansas State College, Jonesboro, Arkansas. After two year of college he became a teacher and coach at Lakeside High School. After two years of teaching and coaching at Lakeside he and his family moved to St. Louis, Missouri. But once in St. Louis, he felt called to be a Minister/Pastor in the Church of the Nazarene. After his two sons grew up and left home, he and Annabelle pursued his calling. First in 1977 he graduated from Nazarene Bible College in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Then once ordained, he pastored churches in Jefferson, Texas, Sullivan, Missouri, Mount Greenwood, Illinois and Woodland Hills Church of the Nazarene in Paragould, Arkansas from August 2002 to March 2015. At the age of 89, he was forced to retire on March 22, 2015, due to declining health problems. He kept his promise to God.

Visitation will be January 12, 2017 from 12:00-2:00 pm at Woodland Hills Church of the Nazarene. The Funeral Service will be Thursday at 2:00 pm at Woodland Hills Church of the Nazarene with Rev. David Berkner officiating. Burial will be at Greene County Memorial Gardens.