Obituary of Lt. Colonel Jack R. Crawford, retired

CANASTOTA . . . It is with great sadness that the family of Lt. Col. Jack Ronald Crawford, retired, 92, says goodbye to a man of honor and devotion to his family and country. Jack Crawford died September 19, 2024, and leaves behind a family very proud to have called him husband, father, and grandfather. Jack was born in Erie Pennsylvania to David and Dorothy Crawford on April 22, 1932. Jack grew up in Erie and Corry Pennsylvania and attended Penn State University where he graduated in 1954. Having participated in the ROTC program, he entered the United States Air Force where he served as an Officer from 1954 to 1976, including serving in the Vietnam War in 1966. Not long after graduating from Penn State, he rekindled his friendship with a girl he knew from Penn State named Shirley. A friendship that blossomed into a once in a lifetime love and the two were wed February 25, 1956, and remained happily married until his passing. Jack obtained his master's from Rollins College in Florida in 1960 and his Certificate of Advanced Studies in 1990. After retiring from the United States Air Force in 1976, he joined the Administrative Staff at Morrisville College where he worked another 18 years as the Budget Control Officer until his final retirement in 1998. His children, Kathleen (Charles), Jonathan (Suzanne), and Mary (Dock) are blessed and honored to have had the love of such a wonderful father and will be forever grateful to have had his guidance and support. His grandchildren, Chad, Chelsea (Nicholas), and Jessica (Brian) are wonderfully gifted young adults with the qualities of their grandfather's tenacity, kindness, and honesty. Shirley, his wife of 68 years, as well as his children and grandchildren will miss him for now, but he will never be far from their thoughts. There will be no calling hours. A funeral service will be held in the chapel at Arlington National Cemetery. Burial with military honors will follow. Arrangements are under the supervision of the J. Homer Ball Funeral Home, Inc., 201 James Street, Canastota, NY. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Jack's honor to Wanderers' Rest Humane Association, Inc., PO Box 535, Canastota, NY 13032, and/or to the Canastota Public Library, 102 West Center Street, Canastota, NY 13032.