Greenville native killed in auto accident

Published 3:06 pm Monday, May 16, 2011

It’s Kristen Crandall’s smile and personality that friends and family will remember most.

“She had such a sweet spirit,” Abbie Ballew, who was in Crandall’s graduating class at Fort Dale, wrote on her facebook page. “I know she will truly be missed by all.”

Crandall, 28, was killed in a two-vehicle accident Sunday morning on Interstate 65 near mile marker 136. According to Alabama State Troopers, Crandall’s 2004 Chevrolet collided with a 2006 Freightliner driven by Phillip Michael Hall of Wyoming at approximately 8 a.m. Hall was not injured in the accident.

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“We were shocked and saddened by this tragedy,” Fort Dale headmaster David Brantley said. “Kristen was a fine young lady and mother. Her son Preston is a fourth grader here at our school and her family has been a part of our school for a long time. Kristen and her parents, Richard and Janice, have meant a lot to our school over the years and our sympathies and prayers certainly go out to them and the entire family.”

Fort Dale teachers Pat Skipper and Marcia Davis remember Crandall as a student who got along well with other students and was a pleasure to teach.

“I was so sorry to hear about Kristen,” Skipper said. “She had a sweet disposition. She was friendly and very artistic.”

“I remember her always smiling and being so pleasant,” Davis said.

Crandall, who would have turned 29 on Wednesday, is survived by her husband Brian Crandall and her son Preston Lowery, as well as her parents Richard and Janice Saunders.

A memorial service is planned for Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Crandall’s home in Fort Deposit to celebrate her life.

She was buried in a private ceremony on Monday.

Austin Nelson contributed to this report.