A924E465-43DB-403A-8762-02BB4EFBE568
Richard Allan Crawford
Dr. Richard Allan Crawford, of Medford, died at home on December 26, 2007. He was born in Chicago, Il., on August 30, 1929, the son of the late Frederick Lester and Ann (Haskell) Crawford. He made his way west as a teenaged itinerant field worker following the wheat harvest, becoming a cowboy on the Colorado / Wyoming border, a milkman in Ft. Collins, Colo., a yard man at the La Porte, Colo. cement plant, and a factory worker winding transformers for a portable welder, before entering college at Colorado A&M (now CSU) and graduating with honors as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1958. Moving with his growing family to the Milwaukee, Wis. area in 1959, he worked as a federal meat inspector for four years. He had an active interest in politics, marching and protesting with his family against above-ground nuclear testing and to promote civil rights and peace. This led to his being blacklisted and fired by the federal government. He then began his home-based private veterinary practice in West Allis, Wis., where he practiced small animal medicine, with his wife, Janet, as his assistant, for 30 years. He was a cherished husband and father, and a beloved character, mentor, and friend to his clients and neighbors. After he and Janet retired, they traveled extensively, worldwide, and made lasting, rewarding friendships. They have spent the past ten years living in and enjoying the Rogue River Valley. Richard was a tremendous thinker, a voracious reader, and his studies made him a sought-after source of information and thought. The death of Richard is an immeasurable loss for his family; he will be eternally remembered in our hearts, minds, and stories. Richard is survived by his wife, Janet (Jackson) Crawford, originally of Denver, Colo.; five loving children, Sara Crawford and her husband, Thomas McKenna, of Madison, Wis., Laurie Hunter, of Ashland, Sheila Murphy and her husband, John of Oconomowoc, Wis., Hal Crawford of Medford, Daniel Crawford, and his wife, Cori, of Wales, Wis.; a beloved brother, Walter Jason Crawford, of Chicago, Il.; and 11 adoring grandchildren, Colin Murphy, Danny Crawford, Lindsay Hunter, Andy Crawford, Sean Murphy, Chelsea Crawford, Cassandra Crawford, Emily Hunter, Zan McKenna, Alex Crawford, and Bobbie McKenna, all of Wisconsin. The family would like to gratefully acknowledge the high level of care and loving concern shown to Richard in his final days by the staff at Rogue Valley Medical Center. Memorial donations may be made to Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy, 398 60th Street, Oakland, CA 94618. (510)654-4400
thedatabank.com/dpg/199/donate.asp?formid=me morial, or to Rogue Valley Medical Center Foundation, 2600 Siskiyou Blvd., Suite 100, Medford, OR 97504. (541)789-5025.
buyabrick.projecta.com/Donation.asp.