A Celebration of Life Service to honor the life and legacy of Gerald "Babe" Crowell, age 89, of Windom, will be held at 10:30 AM on Tuesday, October 14th at the American Lutheran Church in Windom. Military honors will be provided by American Legion Post #206 of Windom. Burial will be in Memory Gardens Cemetery in Windom.

A visitation for Babe will be held on Monday, October 13th from 4:00 – 7:00 PM at the LaCanne Family Celebration of Life Center in Windom. Visitation will continue on Tuesday at the American Lutheran Church in Windom for one hour prior to the service. The service will be livestreamed on the American Lutheran church Facebook page.

Gerald "Babe" Curtis Crowell was born on the morning of April 2, 1936, to Herald Tyler and Edna (Van Norman) Crowell. Babe was born on the family farm, which had been in his family since his grandfather purchased it in 1914. The farm was later passed to Babe's father in 1959 and then to Babe in 1975, where he resided until his death.

Growing up during the Depression Era, Babe often reminisced about simpler times. Though money was scarce, his family was blessed to live off the land, raising animals and enjoying meat from their chickens, hogs, and cattle, along with milk, butter, cheese, and fresh eggs. He fondly remembered their wall-mounted telephone and how they made their own fun. One favorite story was of him and his brother having "peeing contests" to see who could shoot the highest, while their sister stood nearby with a ruler to measure the streams, much to everyone's amusement.

As a boy, Babe witnessed farming practices that were a far cry from modern methods. He recalled planting corn with two horses and a two-row planter, picking corn by hand into a three-board wagon, shelling dry corn by hand, planting wheat with a grain drill, cutting it with a binder, setting shocks to dry, and hauling them by hayrack to the threshing machine.

Babe attended Windom Public School, but at age 15, his father asked if he wanted to farm, and because he did, he left school to work "the 80" (acres) south of the family farmstead. After several good years, a hailstorm destroyed the crop, and with a wife and son to support, he took work as a bus driver for the Wilder School and at a garage in Windom.

Babe continued farming, but in 1956, he began working part-time as a custodian at Windom Public Schools. His hard work and dedication led him to full-time work, and eventually to the position of Assistant Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds. After earning his GED diploma, he went on to become Superintendent. While working alongside a former shop teacher who mentored him, Babe learned one of his most cherished life lessons: if you love and care for your people, they will do the same for you.

Although he left school early, Babe never stopped learning. He later taught high- and low-pressure steam engineering classes at Jackson Vo-Tech and earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in Business Management from Worthington Community College in 1983. One day, after watching Bob Ross paint a picture in an hour, Babe decided to give it a try himself. He enrolled in art classes, where his teacher recognized his talent and encouraged him to study abroad. Babe took that advice to heart and traveled to Italy six times to further his artistic skills.

Babe enlisted in the Minnesota National Guard on March 22, 1954, earning the rank of Sergeant E-5. He served for five years before transferring to the United States Army Reserves, where he served until his honorable discharge on February 28, 1962. During his service, Babe held numerous leadership positions and was Chief of Section for one of the gun sections. He received many commendations, including Marksmanship Badges for rifle and carbine, an Expert Badge for field artillery, and the Minnesota Good Conduct Award. Later, Babe re-enlisted and retired in 1996 as a Sergeant First Class. Babe was a proud life member of the American Legion Post 206, where he served as Commander for 12 years.

After marrying at age 19, Babe was blessed with five children—Donald, Michael, Dean, David, and DeeAnn, whom he loved and cherished deeply. On August 10, 1991, Babe married Kathy Pankonin with a beautiful military wedding. Together, they shared many adventures, especially traveling. Hawaii held a special place in his heart, and he proudly made his 40th trip there in 2020. He also enjoyed visiting Canada, British Columbia, Alberta, Colombia, Germany, Amsterdam, England, Belgium, and Switzerland.

After a period of declining health and with the gentle support of hospice, Babe was called home on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, passing peacefully in the comfort of Kathy's love.

Left to carry forward the light of his unforgettable spirit are his wife of 34 years, Kathy Crowell of Windom; children, Michael Alan Crowell of Windom, Dean Mitchell (Cathy) Crowell of Byron Center, MI, and David Curtis Crowell of Payette, ID; daughter-in-law, Kathy Crowell of Windom; stepchildren, Tammy (Chad) Alm of Heron Lake, Randy (Missy) Pankonin of Eyota, and Jenny (Rick) Graft of Windom; several grandchildren, great-grandchildren and a great-great-grandchild; as well as many beloved relatives and dear friends.

Babe was preceded in death by his parents; daughter, DeeAnn Lynn Crowell; son, Donald Darwin Crowell; grandson, Joshua Crowell; brother, Clyde Herald (Mildred) Crowell; and sister, Ruth (DeLyle) Johnson.

Blessed be the memory of Babe—a faithful man whose kindness, humor, and love for others will be forever remembered.