Herb Crow enjoyed watching people go around in circles on roller skates, but he lived a grounded, straightforward life.
“He loved people, and he loved the Lord,” said his son, Garry Crow of Festus.
Mr. Crow, who owned the Spinning Wheels roller rink in Crystal City, Rollercade in south St. Louis County, and was a co-owner of Rock Roll-O-Rena in Arnold, died Jan. 30 at age 92.
Family was also important to Mr. Crow and his wife of more than 73 years, Gertrude, said another son, Greg Crow, 69, of Imperial, who took over Rollercade after his parents retired in 1990.
“They went into the roller skating business because they wanted to have something for families to do together that didn’t involve alcohol or smoking or any of those adult things,” he said. “They wanted to do something to bring families together, to create a wholesome atmosphere.”
The Crows started as part owners of the Arnold rink in 1966 but decided after a couple of years that they wanted their own operation. Rollercade opened in 1970. Spinning Wheels, which was managed by Garry, was open from 1977 to 2014.
“Early on, I think at Rollercade they had a rule where the skaters had to tuck in their shirts,” said Garry, 70. “Maybe blue jeans were not allowed. My parents just wanted to keep to a family atmosphere. They didn’t put up with any shenanigans.”
Mr. Crow was born in Walnut, Kan., and was raised by his single mother and her parents during the Great Depression.
“My grandpa provided a father figure,” Garry said. “It couldn’t have been easy, for sure, but they made it through.”
After graduating from Walnut High in 1944, Mr. Crow enlisted in the Air Force and was stationed at Scott Air Force Base near Belleville, Ill. At a dance, he met a young woman who was a USO volunteer.
“He was a very good-looking man,” said his wife, Gertrude Crow, 92, of Imperial. “He appeared to be very gentle and caring. He came up and asked me to dance. He said he was watching me, waiting for his chance. It was love at first sight.”
The couple started dating, and things got serious enough that Mr. Crow invited her to meet his family in Kansas.
“Her dad said, “OK, it’s only going to be a quick trip.’ What he didn’t know was they got married that weekend,” Garry said.
“They didn’t get to spend a lot of time together after that, but one weekend my mom told her dad that she wanted to go visit him in Texas. He told her, ‘No. It’s not like you’re married or anything.’ She said, ‘Yes I am’ and whipped out her marriage license.”
Gertrude said she didn’t end up making that trip.
“My mom and my dad both didn’t want me to go,” she said. “They said that ladies don’t chase after men. After I told them I was married, they weren’t very happy, but they accepted it.”
Mr. Crow eventually was shipped to Europe, Garry said.
“He was telling me a few weeks ago that as the war was winding down, he oversaw a group of German POWs who were rebuilding an airstrip in Italy. He played pool with them. He said many of them spoke English better than us.”
After the war ended, the young couple started a family. Mr. Crow landed a job at the Union Electric Co. as a control and instrument repairman, which he held for more than three decades.
“He monitored and fixed the meters and dials in the plants,” Garry said “He also was an electrician.”
His oldest son, Gerry Crow, 72, of Manchester, N.H., remembered those early, lean years.
“A lot of our affection in those early days came from having to lick different sides of the same ice cream cone on the rare occasion we could afford a treat,” he said.
Greg said his mother and father were involved parents.
“Just about everything we kids were involved in – all through our lives – he was involved in,” Greg said. “He was a Scout leader, taught Sunday school, took us roller skating, which eventually led to them getting into the business.
“We were always together doing things. We participated in a lot of church activities growing up as a Christian family. He set a good example for us to live by.”
As the family expanded, the family outings included grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
One of Mr. Crow’s nine grandchildren, Kelly Reece, 41, of St. Louis, said she has fond memories growing up across the street from her grandparents.
“He installed a button low enough for us to push and open the garage door to come over whenever we wanted when we were little,” she said. “We helped Grandma cook and Grandpa handled quality control. He ate so many crispy cookies over the years with a smile on his face. He never turned down a sweet. He was the best grandpa a granddaughter could ask for.”
Garry said his father lived what he taught.
“He loved Jesus, and he tried to live a Christian lifestyle. I don’t think I ever heard Dad say a cuss word in my life. That was his goal – to be a mentor to us. And that’s how he operated his businesses – with honesty and fairness.”
“Life Story,” posted Saturdays on Leader Publications’ website, focuses on one individual’s impact on his or her community.