Mary Belle Crawford Moffett, 94, of Columbia, Missouri, passed away at The Bluffs in Columbia on January 31, 2018.

She was born August 10, 1923, at Keokuk, Iowa, and later moved to Northeast Missouri with her parents, Dewey and Vesta (Johnson) Fry and her brother, Dewey Jr., who predeceased her. She attended rural school for eight years and Memphis High School.

She married Earl Thomas Crawford in 1939. The couple farmed in rural Crawford, Missouri, where they raised their three children: Betty Joan Crawford, Thomas Earl Crawford, and Barbara Jean Crawford.

After twenty-five years, the family moved to Memphis, Missouri, where Mary Belle worked at D & C Variety and Places stores until her retirement. Earl served as Deputy Sheriff and then Sheriff of Scotland County. He died in 1983.

She always enjoyed her children and grandchildren, refinishing old furniture, weaving rugs, quilting, reading, and painting. She created several paintings that depict the Crawford farmhouse, barns, and other rural scenes. Her children and grandchildren treasure her award-winning paintings.

Mary Belle married Troy W. Moffett who died in 1998.

While she lived in Memphis she attended the Christian Church. She especially enjoyed her book club, the "Moving On" group, and her special friend, Jewell Brown.

In 2013, she moved to Columbia to be closer to family.

Surviving are her children, Betty Joan Crawford (Carroll Highbarger), Barbara Jean Crawford (Robert Rankin), and Thomas Earl Crawford, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.