Rev. George Franklin Cribb, Jr.

Reverend George Franklin Cribb, Lt. Colonel USMC Retired, 89, of New Bern, joined his Heavenly Father on March 27, 2015 surrounded by his loving family.

A funeral service will be held 3:00 pm Monday, March 30, 2015 at Broad Creek United Methodist Church with Rev.Ben Ball and Rev. James Chadwick officiating. Interment with military honors will follow at Broad Creek Cemetery.

Lt. Col. Cribb lived a full and happy life serving God, Country, Corps, Family and his Community. He served 29 years in the Marine Corps, 14 years as Minister of Broad Creek United Methodist Church, and was a dedicated leader of his community throughout his life. He made his home in Broad Creek in Carteret County and married Louise Cannon, who preceded him in death in 1987.

Lt. Col. Cribb was born on November 11, 1925 in St. Petersburg, Florida. He enlisted as a Private E1 in the U.S. Marine Corp in December of 1942.

He was deployed to the Pacific Theatre during World War II. After returning from the war, he was discharged from the Marine Corps in 1945 at the rank of E-7. He re-enlisted in 1946, promoted to Second Lieutenant and commissioned in March 1953. As an officer, he served aboard the USS Thuban in the Artic, Caribbean, and Mediterranean. While Head of the Basic Amphibious Training Branch of the Naval Amphibious Training Command in Little Creek Virginia, he led a team of instructors to Greece to train the Greek Army in Amphibious Warfare. Lt.Col Cribb graduated from the Naval School of Law and earned his Bachelor of Law degree from LaSalle University while serving as Commanding Officer of the Armed Forces Examining Station in Denver, Colorado.

In 1963, Lt. Col. Cribb served with the Second Marine Division in Camp LeJeune, first as Commanding Officer of H&S Company, 2nd Anti-Tank Battalion and then as Operations Officer. In July 1964, he served as Division Embarkation Officer at the Morehead City Port before being promoted to Post Control Officer. In February 1965, he was promoted to Major and deployed to Vietnam in July 1965. While in Vietnam, he was awarded the Legion of Merit with Combat "V" by President Lyndon Johnson. His final tour of duty was Provost Marshal, MCAS, Cherry Point, NC, where he served 4 years before retiring as Lieutenant Colonel in October 1970.

After his retirement, Lt. Col. Cribb continued his service to the community, serving as a member of the Carteret County Board of Education, the Carteret County Harbor Authority, and the Neuse Area Development Association. He also served as Director of Carteret County Project Christmas Cheer for 8 years and Director of Meals on Wheels for 10 years. He was the organizer and President of the Broad Creek Community Association for 5 years, where during his tenure, the Association established The Broad Creek Volunteer Fire Department.

Lt. Col. Cribb was a member of the Arapahoe Masonic Lodge and Rocky Mountain Consistory in Colorado, and a Shriner of the Sudan Temple in New Bern.

From 1972-1982, he served as Director of Criminal Justice Department at Carteret Community College. He was a Law Enforcement Instructor certified by the NC Dept. of Justice and organized the first police academy in the area in conjunction with the Tri-County Chiefs of Police. In March 1974, he was appointed as Director of the Police Science Department and retained that position until he retired in 1982.

Lt.Col. Cribb became a certified lay speaker for the United Methodist Church in 1979. In January 1983, he was appointed Pastor of Broad Creek United Methodist Church and served in that capacity until he retired in 1995. During his years as pastor, he graduated from the Ministerial Course of Study at Duke University Divinity School and remained an avid Duke fan throughout his life.

Lt. Col. Cribb was one of the original organizers of the West Carteret Water Corporation, which has grown to a 20 million dollar non-profit enterprise serving Western Carteret County and surrounding areas. He was elected as Vice President of the Board in 1984 and served as President of the Board from 1985 until 2009 and served as a board member until 2014 when he retired due to health reasons.

He was an active member of the Marine Corps League and was elected "Marine of the Year" by the Cherry Point Detachment in 2006.

In his later years, he authored seven books, and remained an active member of the Carteret County World War II Veterans ROMEOs. He also served at Pastor Emeritus, Trustee, Treasurer, and Sunday School Teacher of Broad Creek United Methodist Church.

Lt. Col. Cribb is survived by his wife, Sadie Culpepper Cribb; sons, Andy Smith and wife Bonnie, and Johnny Smith and wife Patti; daughter and caregiver, Lorraine DiTonno and husband Dave; four grandchildren and eight great grandchildren; special nieces Sheila Moore and husband Scott, and Sharon Brackins and husband Phillip; four great nieces and nephews, one great great niece and one great great nephew; and many others who considered him a loving and supportive constant in their lives.

The family will receive friends 5:00 - 7:00 pm Sunday at Munden Funeral Home.

Flowers are welcome, or memorials may be made to Broad Creek United Methodist Church, 562 Broad Creek Loop Rd, Newport, NC 28570.