Charles Wells Crawford

Charles Wells Crawford was born October 25, 1937 in Miami. He went to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on July 11, 2021 after an 8 year battle with multiple myeloma. A graduate of Miami High School, he spent one year at the University of Florida before being appointed to the United States Naval Academy, where he graduated in 1961. He served honorably in the Unites States Navy, serving in Vietnam and retired as a LCDR in 1981.

Charles is survived by his dear wife of 58 years, Claire, his 2 daughters Jillian Collins (Husband Ken) and Lori Widmeyer (Husband Jeff), as well as his 4 grandchildren, Jennifer Drury (Husband Scott), Sloan Collins, Jonathan Widmeyer (Wife Casey) and Matthew Widmeyer and his 2 great-granddaughters Elizabeth Drury and Evie Drury.

Charles was a man of great faith, and lived out daily the command to love his Lord with all his strength, mind and spirit and to love his neighbor as himself. If anything, he loved his neighbors more than himself. His great joy was to give of his time and talents to benefit his family, his church, and plenty of friends, acquaintances and strangers. When challenges arose in life, Charles’ common refrain was “Let’s just watch the Lord work”.

While not a man to be critical of others, he had a refined palate and often had advice for even the most renowned chefs. His dry wit and broad knowledge and world travels made him a treasure at gatherings of family and friends. Charles’ love of his Lord and Savior shone through in his daily walk through life, and even during difficult health challenges he rarely uttered a complaint. His daily prayer was that each of his family members would come to know and follow Jesus as Savior.