John Wayne Crawford (1918-2008)
CRAWFORD, LOHBERGER, HAGARTY, OSTERHAUS, FALKERS, MARTENS, COMPEAN, GROVER, HOSCH, BUSCHER
Posted By: Nevada Journal
Date: 5/8/2008 at 19:46:49
NEVADA JOURNAL, Nevada, Story County, Iowa, Thursday, May 8, 2008.
John Wayne Crawford, Winthrop, was born April 12, 1918, on the Crawford family farm near Waterloo, Iowa, 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.
Wayne was united in marriage to Mary Catherine Hagarty on April 2, 1940, at St. Mary Catholic Church in Greene, Iowa. 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. On March 4, 1954, they purchased and moved to their present farm southwest of Winthrop. Wayne 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 twelve children attend and ten 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 on March 24, 2001, after 61 years of marriage.
Wayne 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.
Wayne entered into his eternal rest on Friday, May 2, 2008, at Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids, following a brief illness at the age of 90.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers: Cyril and Myron; his wife Catherine; his son-in-law, Dan Osterhaus; his grandson, Isaac Crawford; and his great grandsons: Marty Falkers and Tim Martens.
Survivors include his twelve sons and five daughters: Robert of Winthrop; Mary (Mario) Compean of San Antonio, TX; Jane (Bill) Falkers of Geneo, WI; 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, IL; forty seven grandchildren; fifty two great grandchildren; and other relatives and friends.
Funeral services were held Tuesday, May 6, 2008, at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Winthrop with Father Aloysius Vorwald officiating. Casketbearers were Wayne's twelve sons. Honorary bearers were Dean and Barb Gritton and Robert Burns. Interment was in St. Mary of Mt Carmel Cemetery at Eagle Center.
The Fawcett Funeral Home of Winthrop assisted the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.fawcettsfuneralhome.com under obituaries.
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