John Crawford

Retired Master Sergeant (E-7) United States Air Force (USAF) and Vietnam Veteran John Robert Crawford, age 74, of Driftwood Springs, Texas, fought for his very last breath and left this world at 12:01am Friday, May 22, 2020. He remained strong throughout his 20 year battle with cancer and made an effort to enjoy each day. It ended holding his daughter’s hand at St. David’s Hospital South Austin where he will be forever grateful for the incredible kindness and care he received from the nurses and doctors especially Dr. Tokaz, Jennifer and staff at Texas Oncology.

Born on January 9, 1946, in Princeton, New Jersey he was a son of the late Robert G. and Mary F. (Cruthers) Crawford. His childhood focused on farming and raising cows, playing basketball, football and track. He graduated from Southern Area High School in 1964 where his close knit classmates nicknamed him “shrimp.” Next he attended Williamsport Community College before signing up for the Air Force.

John’s time in the Air Force focused on communications and radios even working on equipment for Air Force One. His tour of duty took him to exciting places from the Philippines to South Korea, Vietnam, and Turkey. John earned numerous awards from the military including Meritorious Service Medal and the Joint Service Commendation Medal for work with NATO. After the USAF, John started working for BAE Systems. He loved his coworkers and especially the monthly luncheons even after retiring.

In his retirement, John finally built the workshop and garden of his dreams living out in the Texas Hill Country enjoying his favorite pastime of watching football. He loved sharing his knowledge of gardening with neighbors. He felt so blessed for their kindness and support.

John is survived by his devoted wife of 52 years, Cora, and two daughters: Julieta Lee of Austin and Judy Magnus of Indiana. He planned all family trips stopping through every state and hitting all the highlights of each area. As the oldest sibling, he returned home as much as possible to help and show off his DIY skills because “if you want something done right, do it yourself.” John was preceded in death by his brother Thomas Crawford. He is survived by siblings: Eileen Norris, Patricia Crawford and Dennis Crawford. Most recently, he spoke with delight about becoming a great grandpa this year and enjoyed teasing his five grandchildren: Danielle, Samantha, Brandon, Philip John and Ethan.

A graveside service will be held at 2:30 P.M. Thursday, May 28th at Onion Creek Memorial Park Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to fellow veterans at the Wounded Warrior Project.