Early on the morning of April 10, 2021 Bessie Marie (Founteno) Crouch went to rest in the arms of the Lord.  May Holy Mary, the angels, and all of the saints welcome her now that she has gone from this life to her Eternal Home.  She lived her entire life in service to God, in hopes that one day she would abide with Him in glory.  That day has come.  She is at peace.

Bess, 77, had resided in Colorado Springs, CO for the past 2 1/2 years.  She was formerly a resident of Arabela, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe, NM, and San Antonio, TX prior to that. 

Bessie was born on January 9, 1944 to Freddie and Ida (Donatto) Founteno, in San Antonio, Texas.  On November 27, 1963, she married Clifford Wayne Crouch in San Antonio, TX. 

Bessie was a homemaker, who was fond of sewing, playing her piano and singing, gardening and growing lavender at Lavender Spring Ranch.  She put the Lord first in everything she did, and in every part of her life. She enjoyed Assumption Catholic Church in Roswell. She attended St. Gerard High School in San Antonio, TX.

She is survived by her loving husband, Cliff Crouch, her children and their spouses Clifford Crouch, Annette (Mike) Bass, and Dale (Marei-Laure) Crouch; her siblings Jo Condrill, Fred Founteno, and Gerianne Collins; her grandchildren Paul, Skyler and Basu Koa Crouch, Eli Vradenburg, Connor and Brian Bass, and Thomas and Liam Crouch.  She was preceded in death by her parents and her sisters, Inez Neilson Krcelic and Addie Pruski Richmond.

A Rosary will be held on April 30 at 10:15 a.m., followed by a Funeral Mass at 11:00 a.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 6455 Brook Park Dr., Colorado Springs, CO 80918. Private inurnment will take place that afternoon at Pikes Peak National Cemetery. A gathering for a celebration of Bess’ life will take place at 6:30 p.m. at Cliff Crouch’s and Mike Bass’ family residence.

The sun is a burning ball of gas, just like countless others.  The nature of its existence is not what makes it important to us.  Instead, it is the influence it has on everything around it that makes it essential to our very existence.  Bess was a human amongst countless humans but she warmed the hearts, and blessed the lives of those who were fortunate enough to know her.  She was a vibrant, shining light.  ~Dale Crouch

In lieu of flowers, memorials in Bess’ name may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.

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This Obituary Has 5 Condolences

  1. Bess was my friend since grade school. We shared many fun times in Girl Scouting. Bess always had a big smile. She will be missed.
    Mary Collins Semlinger
    Castroville Tx

  2. Sincere condolences for your loss of Bessie. She will always be remembered. You and her Family are in my prayers.

  3. I will always remember the visits sitting on her porch listening to the sounds of the fountain in the pond. Her beautiful smile will be missed in Arabela!

  4. Cliff and family … our heartfelt condolences to your family.
    Bess remains a special woman, and we’re sure she is well on her way to making heaven an even more special place.
    (Cliff … please call me at 505-690-6724 when you can. All of my contact information for you is no longer valid.)
    Phil and Linda Torres

  5. I AM SO SAD TO HEAR OF BESS’S PASSING. I WISH I HAD KNOWN. I HAD TRIED NUMEROUS TIMES TO GET IN TOUCH WITH CLIFF.. BUT NO ANSWER AND DID NOT KNOW ANNETTE’S LAST NAME.
    I LOVED HER SO MUCH! AND WE HAD MANY GOOD TIMES TOGETHER. ON TRIPS AND WITH OUR FAMILIES.
    SHE WILL BE MISSED ALWAYS.. BUT WE WILL SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN.
    LOVED HER AND HER FAMILY VERY MUCH.
    NANCY WOOD
    1113 LITTLE CREEK RD
    ALTO NEW MEXICO 88312
    575 430 8040
    575 729 1113

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