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Obituary for John W. Crawford
John Wilson Crawford, 84, of Oakland died at 2:01 p.m. Monday, Oct. 25, at home.
John was born June 21, 1937, in Champaign, a son of Charles and Harriet (Rutherford) Crawford. He married Linda Hollowell on Jan. 25, 1964; she survives.
Also surviving are two daughters, Korrel Crawford of Palatine and Karla Crawford (Jeff Metheney) of Mount Dora, Fla.; a brother, Frank Crawford of Simpsonville, S.C.; brothers-in-law Doug Hollowell and Rick Hollowell; and six nieces and five nephews.
He was preceded in death by sisters-in-law Janis (Rossow) Hollowell, Velma (Brown) Crawford and Kathy (Hollowell) Kaufmann.
John graduated from Fountain Valley High School, a boarding school in Colorado Springs, Colo., in 1955. From 1956-59, he served in the U.S. Army; he was stationed in Germany in the Combat Engineer Division with specialized training as a demolitions expert.
He was a retired farmer.
He previously served on the East Oakland Township board and as an election judge for a number of years. He was a member of the Oakland Christian Church, the Knights Templar for 63 years, the Oakland Masonic Lodge for more than 50 years and the Shriners for more than 50 years.
John was a Civil War historian and an avid Green Bay Packers fan. He was a loving husband and father who dearly loved his family, reading, traveling and eating seafood.
A memorial service will be held at Oakland Christian Church at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30, with Tony Crouch and Brad Reineke officiating. The service will be followed by military honors across the street in the park on the square. Burial will be in the Oakland Cemetery at a later date. Krabel Funeral Home in Oakland is assisting with arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Rutherford House through Oakland Landmarks or to the Oakland Christian Church.