Crawford, Earle Mrs. 1884-1947

CRAWFORD, NORGARD, HUFFMAN, KOROCH, BENZ

Posted By: Jill McCarville (email)
Date: 6/7/2013 at 10:39:38

Mrs. Earle Crawford Funeral Services In Both Cresco,Luverne

Former Local Business Woman Operated Cleaning Establishment

Funeral services for Mrs. Earle F. Crawford, age 63, who died at Saint Joseph's Mercy Hospital in Cresco October 12, were held both in Cresco and in Luverne, Minnesota.

The Cresco services were held at the Crawford home Last Tuesday morning under the direction of the Rev. G.W. Turner, pastor of the Methodist church and on the following afternoon, services were held at a Luverne funeral home under the direction of the Rev. R.E. Young of the Luverne Methodist church. Burial was made in Woodlawn in Luverne.

Mrs. Crawford died following an illness of two years with heart trouble.

She was born September 19, 1884, at Canton, South Dakota, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Graves Peter Norgard. She was the last of a family of seven, having been preceded in death by her parents, a sister and three brothers.

She received her education in the public schools and was afterward employed by various firms as a clerk and collector.

Miss Norgard and Earle F. Crawford of Polo, Illinois, were married at Canton, February 6, 1908. During the first years of their married life they operated a laundry in Canton, and later they purchased the Dakota Farmer's Leader, one of the pioneer publications of South Dakota, which they published for a number of years. The couple later moved to Portage, Wisconsin, living there a year before going to Luverne, Minnesota.

Here Mr. and Mrs. Crawford bought a dry cleaning plant, which they operated for 10 years, before coming to Cresco, where they purchased the Ribbeck Cleaning plant, which they modernized and operated until three years ago when they retired.

At one time Mrs. Crawford was a group demonstrator for the state college at Brookings, South Dakota, when the college conducted home economic classes in the state. She was chosen to demonstrate at the South Dakota state fair, at Huron.

The Cresco woman was a member of the Gate City chapter of the Eastern Star of Canton. She was also a member of the Rebekah lodge and was a past president of the Sioux Falls district of the lodge.

She was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran church as a child, but since living in Cresco she was interested in the local Methodist church.

Friends from Sioux City, Canton, and Sioux Falls, as well as many from Luverne attended the funeral service at Luverne.

Among those attending the service in Cresco, there were W.D. Huffman and Mr. and Mrs. Gus Koroch of Portage, Wisconsin, Mrs. Ida Norgard of Milwaukee, and Mr. and Mrs. M.E. Benz of Lawler.

Cresco Plain Dealer October 22, 1947 Front Page Column 4
Transcribed by Jill McCarville from the files of Janice Sowers