William F. Crawford (Bill) of Greenville, S.C., born in Blytheville, Arkansas, passed away peacefully at his daughter's home after a long and exciting life which included living and working through the depression of 1929; surviving the attack at PEARL HARBOR while serving in the Army; and living in Alaska, before finally establishing his roots in Greenville, South Carolina, where he raised his family and established lifelong relationships.
He was the son of Henry and Nellie Crawford. He is survived by two children, Patrick H Crawford and Pamela (& Steve) Dell and a daughter-in-law Cindy Darnell Crawford. Bill's son, Bilbo, predeceased him in 2010; daughter-in-law Ansley Crawford in 1996; and Bill's wife of 55 years, Margaret Bowers Crawford, in 2007.
He has seven grandchildren: Ri; Belle (Chris); Bonnie; Steve (J'aime); Lauren (Babak); Brent (Stephanie) and Kelley. He has also been blessed with 10 great-grandchildren.
Bill and Margaret met in Greenville standing at a juke box at her brother's little grill-restaurant; they married and soon started attending White Oak Baptist Church, where they felt like part of a huge family. The couple managed the AMVETS CLUB on E. Court Street for about 40 years.
Bill's greatest joy was to teach children and adults to water ski, while Margaret drove the boat. In the winter, they would go snow skiing in North Carolina every week, and after the snow "dried up" in our area, they jumped in their motorhome to travel to ski slopes all over the US, visiting family, friends and grandkids along the way. Bill was 91 years old when he last snow skied at Sugar Mountain, NC.
This quiet man possessed a calm accepting spirit, which invited everyone he met to feel comfortable, respected and loved. He believed one way to transcend life was by going through it fully, not ever avoiding it, but just experiencing everything it had to offer to its fullest, seeking to learn as much as possible about others and himself from every encounter.
His calmness, his simplicity, his acceptance, his stories, his devotion to family and country, and his most precious gift of non-judgmental love, will be greatly missed by all who were touched by his footprints as he journeyed through life.
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