Jennie Elizabeth (Rector) Crews

Jennie passed away unexpectedly the night of Tuesday, January 10, 2023.
The eldest of six children, she was born in Oklahoma City, OK on March 9, 1947, to Jeanette (John) Rector and William R. Rector. She grew up in Oklahoma City, OK and Yukon OK before moving to Lawrence, Kansas in 1964 where she "skipped" her senior year of high school, forever claiming the Yukon High Class of '65 as her own and starting classes the University of Kansas.
While there Jennie majored in Art History and was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority where she made lifelong friends. Upon graduation she married the late Terrance C. Fitzgerald III and moved to Kansas City.
Shortly thereafter (upon the election of Richard Nixon, according to Jennie) she and Terry joined the Peace Corps. They served two years in Iran with the Corps before going to the University of Mashhad in Eastern Iran to teach English. While in Mashhad their daughter Erin was born in 1974. The next year they came back to the states and settled in Brooklyn, NY. Jennie then attended NYU where she received an MFA in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures. Moving on to her Ph.D.. She moved to the Seattle area before submitting her dissertation in 1984.
Jennie and Erin moved to Houston in 1988. There she met Dr. Michael A. Crews. They married on December 30, 1994. She and Mike relocated to Albuquerque in 1996.
Over time, Jennie became an extremely active member in the Albuquerque community. As a member of the National Assistance League for over 25 years, Jennie served in leadership positions locally and nationally. One could often find her in Old Town, volunteering at The Blue Portal or assisting with the Historic Old Town Property Owners Association, where she also served as a Board member. In her spare time, Jennie could be found playing bridge with groups of friends, at the Santa Fe Opera or frequenting art shows across the nation with Mike. Her love of art led to strong friendships with many artists across New Mexico. After many years as a patron, Jennie became a proud Board member on the Albuquerque Museum Foundation. On her final day, Jennie spent hours volunteering.
Preceded in death by her parents and sisters Robin Muir and Penny Sage, Jennie is survived by her husband, Mike; daughter, Erin Fitzgerald; son-in-law, Cortland Putbrese; granddaughter, Kensley of Richmond Va.; sister, Kathryn Hetu of Olathe,KS; brother, Dick Rector of Lawrence, Kansas; and John Rector of Marshall, Mo. and many many nieces and nephews, as well as loved ones from the extended family, both blood-related and through marriages.
Services will be held on her birthday, March 9th, 2023, at 2:00 at FRENCH- University, followed by a reception. In lieu of flowers, please consider a monetary donation or your time in loving memory of Jennie Crews to either the Albuquerque Museum (https://www.cabq.gov/abq-volunteers) or the National Assistance League Operation School Bell (https://www.assistanceleague.org/albuquerque/ways-to-donate/). To find a local chapter, please visit https://www.assistanceleague.org/locator/.