Thomas F. Crawford
Thomas F. Crawford of Greentown, Pa., and formerly of Warwick, N.Y., and Butler, N.J., passed away peacefully at Bon Secours Community Hospital in Port Jervis on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015. He was 85 years old.
He joins his wife, the former Mildred Abrams, who predeceased him on April 30, 1997.
Tom served in the U.S. Maritime Service during World War II.
He was a talented trumpet player, performing in pit crews for several shows and clubs during the late 1940's.
He met his future wife and love of his life, who was a classically trained soprano, when both were auditioning for a talent show. They married on April 16, 1950, and shared their lives for 47 years.
Tom graduated from the N.Y.S. Police Academy in 1958 and began a 20-year career with the force, achieving the rank of Investigator with the Bureau of Criminal Investigation before retiring in 1978.
It was this career that brought him to Warwick, where he and his wife raised their family and were instrumental in the establishment of the Warwick Valley Church of the Nazarene.
After his retirement from the NYS Police, Tom embarked on a second career, becoming an ordained minister and taking a full-time leadership position at the Butler, N.J., Church of the Nazarene. He ministered there until his retirement in 1997, at which time he moved to Greentown, Pa., and was active in The Bible Fellowship Church.
The members of that church and residents of his immediate community were of great support and assistance to him in his last years.
Tom is survived by his brother William Crawford of Panama City, Fla.; his daughters Faith Parker of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Hope Scheuermann of Lord's Valley, Pa., and Joy Metcalfe of Pepperell, Mass. He is also survived by six grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.
The family would like to express deepest gratitude to the third floor staff of Bon Secours Community Hospital in Port Jervis for the compassionate care given our father during his last days, and for their immeasurable support and kindness to us.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Bon Secours Community Hospital Foundation in memory of our beloved father Thomas Crawford.
A memorial service will be planned for spring or early summer to accommodate travel for distant family and friends.
Final arrangements are under the direction of Lazear-Smith & Vander Plaat Memorial Home in Warwick.
For further information or to send an online condolence, see www.lsvpmemorialhome.com.