Beers & Story Belchertown Funeral Home
Robert Lee Crawford passed away on July 13, 2024. He was born July 18, 1933, in Worcester, MA, the son of William J. and Rose C. (Jensen) Crawford. Educated in Worcester public schools, he graduated from Classical High School in 1951 and Clark University in 1955 with a B.A. in Physics. He volunteered to serve in the United States Navy, attended Officer Candidate School and commissioned as an Ensign USN in 1955. Accepted into the Navy Flight Training Program, he completed basic flight training in Pensacola, FL and advanced flight training in Hutchinson, KS and qualified in Aircraft Carrier Operations and was designated as a U.S. Naval Aviator. He was stationed in Brunswick, ME while serving as a Patrol Plane Pilot in operations in the Artic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea until his release from active duty in 1959, and then served in the Naval Reserve until 1968. He was a 1970 graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA with an MBA.
Robert worked for General Electric Company Ordnance Division Pittsfield, MA for thirty years in the Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile Program, retiring as Program Manager Fleet Ballistic Missile Training Program. Following his retirement, he accepted a position as a consultant on Submarine Weapon Programs with the U.S. Navy Strategic Systems Program Office Washington, D.C. where he was assigned to the Navy Program Office at GE Ordnance Systems in Pittsfield, MA and performed in that position for seventeen years, retiring in 2008.
Robert married his beloved wife, Maureen N. (Hanlon) Crawford in 1960. Maureen passed away in 2022 after 62 years of marriage. Robert leaves their three children - David L. (Suzanne (Fredericks) Crawford (deceased)) of Florida; Steven R. (Yuki (Sato)) Crawford of Yokohama, Japan and Kristin J. Crawford of Charlestown, MA. He also leaves grandchildren - Stewart (David); Wesley, Dylan, and Sean (Steven). Robert was predeceased by his brothers John L. Crawford and William J. Crawford IV, and sister Jean R. (Crawford) Masterson.
Robert was an enthusiastic painter beginning in the 1970s at the Berkshire Museum, under the tutelage of Stuart C. Henry. He continued to draw and paint, most recently at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, MA.
At Robert's request, services will be private and burial will be at the Quabbin Park Cemetery, Ware, MA. In lieu of flowers, donations made to the World Central Kitchen or a charity of one's choosing in Robert's name would be appreciated.
LINKS
The Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/globe%20Or%20http:/www.legacy.com/obituaries
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
http://www.telegram.com
The Berkshire Eagle
http://www.berkshireeagle.com
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