Jerry Crawford
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Obituary for Jerry Gordon Crawford

Jerry Gordon  Crawford
On the morning of October 15th, 2014, Jerry Crawford passed away comfortably in his bed with his wife by his side at Southminster Hospice in Charlotte, NC after a 6 month struggle with COPD and cancer. He was 71.
Jerry was born in the small town of Erwin, Tennessee on January 28th, 1943 . He remained fiercely proud of his TN mountain heritage all of his life. He was the youngest of three children of Virginia Wade and Frank Everett Crawford.
Jerry was a 1961 graduate of Unicoi County High School in Erwin, TN after which he promptly joined the Army. While stationed in Germany, he met his wife, Jean Ellen Scheel from Wausau, WI. They married in 1963 and had a daughter, Patricia Lorelie, born in Munich, Germany in 1964.
In 1964, Jerry returned to the states with his family, honorably discharged from the Army, and attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN. His son, Hugh Everett Crawford, was born in 1967 in Knoxville.
Jerry worked for 27 years for General Electric Credit Corporation in several locations in multiple managerial positions settling in Charlotte, NC in 1974 where he and his wife have lived ever since.
After retiring from GE, Jerry pursued a side interest of driving 18 wheelers for 5 years for General Transport Services located in Gastonia, NC.
During Jerry's retirement in subsequent years, he was an avid golfer, volunteered at various charitable organizations, mentored grade school students in the Charlotte Mecklenburg School system, and rarely missed his standing Saturday night poker game with friends. He was a life-long motorcycle enthusiast and continued to ride well into his sixties.
A family oriented man, he and his wife and children have enjoyed summer vacations for 50 years at their lake cabin in the woods in Three Lakes, Wisconsin. One mosquito-filled evening, while canoeing with his wife off of Big Fork Lake, he hauled in a 29 lb. Muskie, which still hangs on the wall of his den.
Jerry became a doting grandfather in 2003 to Alexandra Christine (Lexi) and spent many afternoons teaching her how to fish, play cards, brush up on math facts and study for her black belt in Tae Kwon Do.
Jerry and Jean celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last summer by traveling with the entire family for a trip-of-a-lifetime to Paris, France.
Jerry Crawford was preceded in death by his mother, Virginia Crawford McInturf, his father, Frank E. Crawford, his brother A. Frank Crawford, his sister, Mary Ann Crawford Dyer and his nephew Jim Garland who were all long term Erwin, TN residents or born and raised there.
Jerry is survived by his wife, Jean E. Crawford, his daughter, Patricia Crawford Strandberg (Tony), his son, Hugh Crawford (Cindy) and his beloved granddaughter Alexandra Christine (11 years old). Other surviving family members include his nephews Alan Crawford (Susan), Evan Crawford and his niece Erin Crawford - who all three live in Indiana, and Mary Ann Garland of Erwin, TN.
Services are to be held in Avondale Presbyterian Church located at 2821 Park Rd. in Charlotte, NC on Saturday, October 25th, 2014 at 11:00 AM. In lieu of remembrance flowers, please make a donation to your favorite charity and have a good thought on your next round of golf.

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