Dicksie Cribb

Dicksie Johnston Brown Cribb of Spartanburg passed away peacefully on Monday, January 30, 2017, surrounded by her four children at Spartanburg Medical Center. Dicksie was born on October 13, 1925 in St. George, SC, to William T. and Anne Aurella Johnston Brown. She graduated from Converse College in 1946 with a Bachelor's Degree in drama and a minor in voice. After graduation, she met and married Troy Kenneth Cribb. They were married for 35 years until Kenneth's death in 1982. Dicksie always remained devoted to Converse. She served on its Board of Trustees for 14 years and was co-founder, with Carlos Moseley, Henry Janiec, and John Richards McCrea, of the Friends of the Petrie School of Music. In 1973 she received the Distinguished Alumna Award. She was honored as one of Converse's 100 Outstanding Alumnae at the college's Centennial Celebration in 1989, and again as one of its 125 Outstanding Alumnae at the college's 125th Celebration in 2014. Dicksie gave much of her time and energy to fostering young people's musical talent, arranging music scholarships for exceptional students such as maestro Keith Lockhart, now Conductor of the Boston Pops and Artistic Director of the Brevard Music Center in western NC. She served as vice-president for the Southeastern Region of the National Federation of Music Clubs, and for more than 20 years was the Auditions Chairman for the NFMC's Ellis Competition for Duo-Pianists. She also represented the NFMC before the U. S. Senate Judiciary Committee to advocate for intellectual property rights of American composers and artists. She served as president of the South Carolina Federation of Music Clubs and president of the Spartanburg Philharmonic Music Club. Brevard Music Center was a place dear to her heart. She served as a member of the Board of Trustees for more than 40 years and then as Trustee Emerita. In recognition of her exceptional commitment, she received Brevard's highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award. Her son, T. Kenneth Cribb, Jr. carries on in her footsteps as Chairman of the Brevard Music Center Board of Trustees. Dicksie was active in the Methodist Church throughout her life. During her senior year at Converse, Central Methodist Church recruited her to become its first Youth Director. She later became the first woman to serve as Chairman of Trinity United Methodist Church's Administrative Board. Dicksie was a soloist in Trinity's choir for 35 years. She and husband Kenneth taught a collegiate Sunday school class that was so popular that it had to be held in the sanctuary. She also directed numerous church drama productions. Dicksie served as president of the Junior League of Spartanburg, where much of her work focused on bringing the arts to children. She helped create Spartanburg Symphony's annual countywide youth concert. Amidst all these civic endeavors, Dicksie also found time later in life to become a successful realtor, promptly earning the Realtor of the Year award from the Spartanburg County Board of Realtors. On stage and behind the scenes, Dicksie was active in Spartanburg's theater community, especially the Spartanburg Little Theatre. Among scores of roles, she played Anna in the Little Theatre's production of Anastasia, Sarah in J.B., and Julie in the first ever amateur production of Rogers and Hammerstein's Carousel. Dicksie was the first chairman of the Spartanburg Literacy Association which was instrumental in bringing to South Carolina the Laubach "Each One, Teach One" method of teaching the functionally illiterate. She was also chairman of the Spartanburg Speech and Hearing Clinic which later became the Charles Lea Center. In 2009, the governor of South Carolina awarded Dicksie the Order of the Silver Crescent to recognize her lifelong efforts on behalf of our country's finest musical traditions. The award is the state's highest civilian honor for volunteerism and community service. She is survived by her children, Kenneth Cribb, Jr., Billy Cribb, Dicksie Cribb and Evelyn Cribb Ritchie with her husband Jim, all of Spartanburg; her grandchildren, Kenneth Cribb II (Emily), William Cribb (Rebekah), Lee Cribb, Jamie Cribb, Caroline Ritchie, Jimmy Ritchie, and Anna Grace Ritchie; her great grandchildren, Hayden Cribb, Zoey Cribb, Riley Nolan and Caleb Nolan; and her sister, Lalla Mellor of Germantown, TN. She was predeceased by her brother, Terry Brown. Visitation will be 4:00-6:00 PM Wednesday, February 1, 2017, at Floyd's North Church Street Chapel, 235 N. Church St., Spartanburg, SC 29306. Funeral services will be conducted at 2:00 PM Thursday, February 2, 2017, at Trinity United Methodist Church, 626 Norwood St., Spartanburg, SC 29302, by the Rev. Neal Woods, the Rev. Dr. Paul Harmon, Jr., and the Rev. A. Mickey Fisher. Burial will be private. Pallbearers will be her four grandsons, her nephew, John Cribb, and friend of the family, Adair Watters. Honorary escort will be members of the John Nicholson Sunday School Class. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Brevard Music Center, 349 Andante Lane, Brevard, NC 28712. Floyd's North Church Street Chapel To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Dicksie Brown Cribb please visit our Sympathy Store.