Wallace Crawford

Wallace (Wally) Frederick Crawford, 74, died March 29, 2020 after a lengthy illness. He was born in Detroit, Michigan, on March 23, 1946. His family moved to Hinsdale, Illinois, when Wally was in seventh grade. The Crawford family then settled in Cincinnati, Ohio where Wally attended Country Day School, graduating in 1964. Wally served as a hospital corpsman with Charlie Company, Recon Marines, in Vietnam. He was awarded the Purple Heart for injuries sustained during an ambush while on reconnaissance by the DMZ. Wallace finished his service in Japan working as an orthopedic technician. He was known for his creativity and craftsmanship in making casts for challenging injuries. After discharge from the service, Wally attended the University of Cincinnati where he was active in student government and politics, contributed frequently to the University newspaper, and worked with the American Marketing Association. He was a member of the Delta Sigma Pi Professional Business Fraternity. Wally graduated in 1972 with a degree in business management. After graduation, he served as an intern in the Office of Consumer Affairs in Washington D.C. Wally and his brother, Dave, were partners in Crawford Brothers Company for seventeen years in Des Moines. He later worked at Employee Benefit Services and Aetna. Wally was known for his energy, enthusiasm, and ability to make things better than they were before. Wally was an avid reader and wordsmith, known for his humor, love of information and intellectual curiosity. His greatest pleasure was giving to and helping others. He was never afraid to defend or take a stand for what he believed to be right. Wally was memorable to all who met him. His friendship, strength and sensitivity will be greatly missed. He is survived by his wife of forty-one years, Julie; daughter, Andrea; son, Iain; and brothers, Dave (Anne), Christopher (Elizabeth), and Johnathan (Wendy). Preceding him in death were his parents, David and Gloria. We want to thank the nurses, staff and physicians at the VA who cared for Wally through the course of his illness. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Puppy Jake Foundation.