COLUMBUS
Howard “Wayne” Crawford, 86, passed away at Our Hospice of South Central Indiana in Columbus on Sunday, November 26, 2017.
He was a member of New Hope Christian Church.
Born November 13, 1931 in Lawrence County, Wayne was the son of Orin L. and Mary (Flynn) Crawford and was a direct descendant of pioneer Jacob Flinn who numbered among the first settlers in Leesville.
Following graduation from Shawswick High School in 1950, Wayne worked for Avco Corporation in Richmond.
In January 1951, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy where he was stationed at the Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek in Norfolk, Virginia.
Towards the end of his naval tour, he served as the chaplain’s assistant on the USAT General Harry Taylor, which transported military troops and civilians between Staten Island, New York and Bremerhaven, Germany.
He was honorably discharged on January 14, 1955 obtaining the rank of Yeoman Third Class.
Wayne married Carmen Jo Stafford on November 24, 1955, Thanksgiving Day, at Pinhook Christian Church.
In April 1959, Wayne joined Rexham Corporation in Edinburgh, and worked his way through the ranks at Rexham, becoming production supervisor in 1965, quality control supervisor in 1972 and production manager in 1978.
He retired from Rexham when the plant was sold in 1989.
Wayne then joined GenCorp Automotive in Shelbyville, in November 1989 where he worked as quality control technician until his retirement in April 1998.
During his retirement, he continued to spend time on his numerous hobbies which included gardening in the summer and working on various woodworking projects including muzzleloaders and violins.
Most of all he enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren and watching sporting events.
He is survived by daughters, Mechael Dawn (Gary) Charbonneau of Bloomington and Nicole Beth (Danny) Hollander of Brown County; grandchildren, John Crawford Gage of Bloomington, Jessica Nicole Gago of Portland, Oregon, and twins, Abigail Rose and Aubrey Mechael Hollander of Brown County; sister, Katherine Louise Horner of Bedford; sister-in-law, Deanna Beth (John) Moore of Bedford; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his wife on March 10, 2012; parents; brothers, David Curtis Crawford and Donald Ralph Crawford, and sister, Elma Mae Stevens.
The funeral service will be at 11 a.m. on Thursday at Ferguson-Lee Chapel of Thorne-George Family Funeral Homes in Bedford, with John Sichting of New Hope Christian Church officiating. Burial will follow at Pinhook Christian Church Cemetery with military rites accorded by members of American Legion Gillen Post No. 33. Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday at the Ferguson-Lee Funeral Home in Bedford.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Lawrence County Art Association and Our Hospice of South Central Indiana.
