Gordon Benton Crawford was born at home in McCordsville, Indiana on May 31, 1926 to Roscoe Dale and Vivian Coosie (Benton) Crawford. Gordon went to Lawrence Central High School, and as a young man, he worked with his father in a butcher shop and helped deliver groceries. After graduation, he enlisted in the Army Air Corp during World War II. Upon discharge, he took advantage of the GI Bill to receive his Bachelor of Science at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, embarking on a long career in Human Resources at places such as Burr-Brown Corporation and Hughes Aircraft Company, both in Tucson, Arizona. Eventually, he became the Personnel Administrator at St. Joseph’s hospital in Tucson. Gordon is survived by four sons: Gary Allan (from his first wife Jacqueline Severns), Gordon (Chip) Benton, Jr. and Geoffrey Brandon (from his second wife Carolyn Sue (Lamb) Schroder), and Gregory Brent (from his third wife Katherine Ann (Reznicek)), as well as 17 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his son Grady Brian, granddaughter Jordan Elizabeth, and wife Katherine Ann.
Gordon was married to the love of his life, Katherine, for over 41 years. They were very, very close, and did everything together. Before his marriage to Kathy, he was a single dad, and rose to the challenge of raising three rambunctious boys. He had many good friends, some who were lifetime relationships. He enjoyed meeting with several of his friends each Monday for breakfast, and they are warmly remembered as “The Bagel Bunch.”
Gordon loved to watch and follow sports, and he was a huge fan of the University of Arizona Wildcats. It was not unusual to see him and his wife Kathy bedecked in all things U of A: shirts, shorts, socks, hats, wristwatches, earrings. They even drove around in an officially endorsed Buick. He often attended baseball, volleyball and flag football games in which his children and grandchildren participated. And he never missed an Indianapolis 500 race. When he was younger, Gordon would sit at his desk, tuned into the radio and keeping track of the race results on graph paper. When his kids heard “Gentlemen, start your engines,” they knew he was not to be disturbed for the next few hours. He enjoyed music and the arts, in particular swing, jazz and big band music, and he had an extensive record collection. He sang barbershop, and was a member of the SPEBSQSA (Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America). He and Kathy supported the local arts, and attended many plays throughout the years. Gordon also was enthusiastic about restoring old cars, such as the vintage Packard he held onto for so long.
He had a special fondness for dachshunds, starting in 1960 with Tammy, who was small enough to sleep in a shoebox when he first brought her home. When one of his dachshunds, Danny, ran away outside Florence, Arizona on their way to go camping, he searched for the dog for days, even returning to post flyers. Eventually, a local prison guard called and told Gordon that she had found Danny, so he drove the many miles back to fetch his beloved best friend. For the last seventeen years, his companion was a long-haired dachshund named Misty, who is still around and most certainly missing him.
Gordon loved to travel, and he enjoyed camping. He started out roughing it in tents, graduated to trailers, and eventually ended up touring the countryside in RVs and fifth-wheels. He took his family on camping and road trips all over Arizona, California, Mexico and beyond. Because of his passion for adventure and his desire to create memorable experiences for his family, the Crawfords got to walk through deserts at sunrise, hike through Aspen trees in the fall, fish out of creeks, go crabbing in estuaries, swim in the ocean, play in the snow, boat around small islands, see gunfights at Old Tucson, climb mountains and trees, ride motorcycles across sand dunes, and visit dozens of landmarks across Arizona. He established many traditions for his family to enjoy and treasure, like visiting the Winterhaven neighborhood during the holidays to see the Christmas decorations, driving over “tickle-belly” roads, taking annual Fourth of July trips to Benson to watch the fireworks and afterward stop at the A&W for root beer, celebrating birthdays at Shakey’s Pizza Parlor, and preparing Swedish meatballs on New Year’s Eve. And despite the corny April Fool’s jokes he played on his family year after year, Gordon had an exceptional and witty sense of humor, one that was definitely passed on to all of his children.
Gordon strived and worked hard to create experiences and traditions that were important and meaningful, teaching his children to value family and each other, and ultimately establishing everlasting memories for them to cherish and never forget. When his boys became fathers, they vowed to do the same for their kids, and in turn, his son’s kids are doing it for theirs. Our memories and experiences have made all of us better people, better friends, better parents. They are Gordon’s legacy, and they are our legacy, too. We are grateful and blessed for the part of Gordon that lives on inside each of us.
Gordon B. Crawford (11/17/17)
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Gordon Benton Crawford was born at home in McCordsville, Indiana on May 31, 1926 to Roscoe Dale and Vivian Coosie (Benton) Crawford. Gordon went to Lawrence Central High School, and as a young man, he worked with his father in a butcher shop and helped deliver groceries. After graduation, he enlisted in the Army Air Corp during World War II. Upon discharge, he took advantage of the GI Bill to receive his Bachelor of Science at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, embarking on a long career in Human Resources at places such as Burr-Brown Corporation and Hughes Aircraft Company, both in Tucson, Arizona. Eventually, he became the Personnel Administrator at St. Joseph’s hospital in Tucson. Gordon is survived by four sons: Gary Allan (from his first wife Jacqueline Severns), Gordon (Chip) Benton, Jr. and Geoffrey Brandon (from his second wife Carolyn Sue (Lamb) Schroder), and Gregory Brent (from his third wife Katherine Ann (Reznicek)), as well as 17 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his son Grady Brian, granddaughter Jordan Elizabeth, and wife Katherine Ann.
Gordon was married to the love of his life, Katherine, for over 41 years. They were very, very close, and did everything together. Before his marriage to Kathy, he was a single dad, and rose to the challenge of raising three rambunctious boys. He had many good friends, some who were lifetime relationships. He enjoyed meeting with several of his friends each Monday for breakfast, and they are warmly remembered as “The Bagel Bunch.”
Gordon loved to watch and follow sports, and he was a huge fan of the University of Arizona Wildcats. It was not unusual to see him and his wife Kathy bedecked in all things U of A: shirts, shorts, socks, hats, wristwatches, earrings. They even drove around in an officially endorsed Buick. He often attended baseball, volleyball and flag football games in which his children and grandchildren participated. And he never missed an Indianapolis 500 race. When he was younger, Gordon would sit at his desk, tuned into the radio and keeping track of the race results on graph paper. When his kids heard “Gentlemen, start your engines,” they knew he was not to be disturbed for the next few hours. He enjoyed music and the arts, in particular swing, jazz and big band music, and he had an extensive record collection. He sang barbershop, and was a member of the SPEBSQSA (Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America). He and Kathy supported the local arts, and attended many plays throughout the years. Gordon also was enthusiastic about restoring old cars, such as the vintage Packard he held onto for so long.
He had a special fondness for dachshunds, starting in 1960 with Tammy, who was small enough to sleep in a shoebox when he first brought her home. When one of his dachshunds, Danny, ran away outside Florence, Arizona on their way to go camping, he searched for the dog for days, even returning to post flyers. Eventually, a local prison guard called and told Gordon that she had found Danny, so he drove the many miles back to fetch his beloved best friend. For the last seventeen years, his companion was a long-haired dachshund named Misty, who is still around and most certainly missing him.
Gordon loved to travel, and he enjoyed camping. He started out roughing it in tents, graduated to trailers, and eventually ended up touring the countryside in RVs and fifth-wheels. He took his family on camping and road trips all over Arizona, California, Mexico and beyond. Because of his passion for adventure and his desire to create memorable experiences for his family, the Crawfords got to walk through deserts at sunrise, hike through Aspen trees in the fall, fish out of creeks, go crabbing in estuaries, swim in the ocean, play in the snow, boat around small islands, see gunfights at Old Tucson, climb mountains and trees, ride motorcycles across sand dunes, and visit dozens of landmarks across Arizona. He established many traditions for his family to enjoy and treasure, like visiting the Winterhaven neighborhood during the holidays to see the Christmas decorations, driving over “tickle-belly” roads, taking annual Fourth of July trips to Benson to watch the fireworks and afterward stop at the A&W for root beer, celebrating birthdays at Shakey’s Pizza Parlor, and preparing Swedish meatballs on New Year’s Eve. And despite the corny April Fool’s jokes he played on his family year after year, Gordon had an exceptional and witty sense of humor, one that was definitely passed on to all of his children.
Gordon strived and worked hard to create experiences and traditions that were important and meaningful, teaching his children to value family and each other, and ultimately establishing everlasting memories for them to cherish and never forget. When his boys became fathers, they vowed to do the same for their kids, and in turn, his son’s kids are doing it for theirs. Our memories and experiences have made all of us better people, better friends, better parents. They are Gordon’s legacy, and they are our legacy, too. We are grateful and blessed for the part of Gordon that lives on inside each of us.
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