John Wayne Crawford (1918-2008)

CRAWFORD, LOHBERGER, HAGARTY, COMPEAN, FALKERS, GROVER, HOSCH, BUSCHER, OSTERHAUS, MARTENS

Posted By: Ames Tribune
Date: 5/7/2008 at 08:11:54

THE AMES TRIBUNE, Ames, Story County, Iowa, Tuesday, May 6, 2008.

April 12, 1918-May 2, 2008

John Wayne Crawford, 90, of Winthrop, entered into his eternal rest Friday, May 2, at Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids following a brief illness. Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 6, at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Winthrop, with Father Aloysius Vorwald officiating. Casketbearers will be Wayne's 12 sons. Honorary bearers will be Dean and Barb Gritton and Robert Burns. Burial will be in St. Mary of Mt. Carmel Cemetery at Eagle Center.

Visitation, rosary and scripture service was Monday, May 5, at Fawcett Funeral Home in Winthrop.

John Wayne Crawford was born April 12, 1918, on the Crawford family farm near Waterloo, the son of John Glen Crawford and Edith Lohberger Crawford. He attended local schools, graduating from St. Mary High School in Waterloo with the class of 1935.

He married Mary Catherine Hagarty April 2, 1940, at St. Mary Catholic Church in Greene. To this union were born 17 children. Throughout their lives, farming and raising livestock and children was their focus. They began farming on the Crawford family farm and in 1946 moved to the Reis family farm in Floyd County, farming for nine years. They purchased and moved to their present farm southwest of Winthrop March 4, 1954. He also worked as a psychiatric aide in the Cromwell unit at the Mental Health Institute in Independence for 21 years, from 1961 until 1982. Wayne and Catherine were honored as Iowa State University Parents of the Year in 1978 for having 12 children attend and 10 children graduate from the university. They held the distinction of being the only honored couple not to be ISU alumni. Catherine entered into her eternal rest March 24, 2001, after 61 years of marriage.

He lived his faith and was a long-time member of St. Patrick Catholic Church in Winthrop. He dearly loved farming, tending to his livestock's daily feeding and his black lab dogs. He cared for his cows, calves, lambs and pigs, giving names to many. He enjoyed gardening and growing wild flowers, especially hollyhocks. He drove his restored first tractor, a 1937 Oliver, in the 2007 Winthrop and Independence parades. It is permanently stored at Heartland Acres in Independence.

He is survived by 12 sons and five daughters, Robert, of Winthrop, Mary (Mario) Compean, of San Antonio, Jane (Bill) Falkers, of Geneo, Wis., John (Kathy), of Independence, Dan (Ruth), of Independence, Ron (Dianne), of Independence, Rose (Jeff) Grover, of Independence, Margaret (Lyle) Hosch, of Independence, Larry (Sarah), of Independence, Russell, of Exira, Pete (Jolene), of Red Oak, Kenny (Lila), of Vail, Terry (Connie), of Denison, Mike (Page), of Nevada, Steve (Audrey), of Nevada, Dennis (Renny), of Grinnell, and Patricia (Mike) Buscher, of Mundelein, Ill.; 47 grandchildren; 52 great-grandchildren; and other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Cyril and Myron; his wife, Catherine; one son-in-law, Dan Osterhaus; one grandson, Isaac Crawford; and two great-grandsons, Marty Falkers and Tim Martens.

Fawcett Funeral Home of Winthrop assisted the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.fawcettsfuneralhome.com under obituaries.

http://www.amestrib.com
 

Story Obituaries maintained by Mark Christian.
WebBBS 4.33 Genealogy Modification Package by WebJourneymen