Birdie B. Crowder

“Weep not, weep not, she is not dead, she is resting in the bosom of Jesus.” James Weldon Johnson God blessed us with the birth of Birdie Brown Crowder on December 1, 1936. It was on this day that Claude Lee and Mattie Brown, affectionately known as Paw Paw & Maw Maw , was overjoyed with the arrival of their third angel while living in Yazoo, Mississippi. Four years later, in 1940, they relocated to Los Angeles, California. Birdie spent her formative years in Los Angeles, California, graduating from Freemont High School in 1955. Shortly after graduating she met and later married William Crowder. The two were united in holy matrimony on October 13, 1959. Birdie and William were blessed with three children Ramona, Christopher and Cynthia. She demonstrated her love and protectiveness of her children as she always picked the bones out of their fish prior to them eating until they were 18 or 19 years old. Later William wanted to be closer to his family and convinced Birdie to accompany him. In 1958 they, along with their oldest child Ramona, relocated to Washington, District of Columbia. When asked why she decided to leave California where all of her family was and move to D.C where she had no family, she would just smile, “I was following my man”. She very quickly adapted to life in DC. Shortly after moving she got a job with the United States Postal Service. Birdie worked for the Postal Service for 38 years as a Mail Clerk and retired in 2005. Birdie was always known for her cooking and baking. Everyone began to learn that you could always come to Birdie’s house for a good home-cooked meal. She took pride in feeding others. She felt that was the way to show your hospitality. You were guaranteed a meal at the house at the top of the hill in Capitol Heights, Maryland. She would bake delicious cakes and pies from scratch, and everyone loved them. In her past time, she liked to play bid whist until her sight started to decline. In addition to playing cards, she enjoyed arts and crafts, making Ming Trees, and beautiful money roses, which she only gave to special people. She loved gardening. Her favorite flower was Sunflower. It was not unusual to pass by her house daily and see her in the yard pulling up weeds and planting more flowers. It was extremely important for her to have a beautiful yard full of flowers and plants with no weeds. Not only did she get satisfaction from seeing a beautiful yard she also felt that would be a segway for people who visited to know what they were about to see when entering her home – it would set the tone. Birdie was also an avid sports and music lover. While her favorite music artists were Al Greene and Little Willie John, her favorite sports teams were, Washington Commanders and LA Rams, LA Lakers, and the Washington Nationals. Birdie joined Beulah Baptist Church in 2004. As a member of Beulah Baptist Church, she faithfully served as a member of the Women’s Missionary Society, the Women’s Ministry, and Recycled Teenagers. She loved her church and Pastor always saying, “Pastor Turner could really teach and preach”. In addition to her parents Birdie is predeceased by her husband William, son Christopher Crowder, sisters Helen Kilgore, and brother Robert (Cliff) Brown She is survived by two beloved daughters Ramona Crowder (Las Vegas), and Cynthia Crowder Yates (Joseph) of Clinton, Maryland, two cherished grandchildren Malik Crowder and LaJoi Gary, daughter-in-law Shannon Crowder, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, friends, and her former co-worker and best friend Peggy Young.

Tributes

Birdie B. Crowder

December 1, 1936 - March 11, 2025