Growing up, Gregory Brent Crawford attended Tuller Episcopal school in Tucson, and from kindergarten through 8th grade enjoyed to the full extent the glories of being taught by nuns, including being forced to learn how to swim by getting pushed into a pool by the sisters. After that experience, he never fully embraced swimming, although as an adult he would swim or jet ski at the lake, but not without protest. Greg went to Sabino High School and graduated with the Class of 1994. During high school, he enjoyed playing JV baseball, and was fortunate to be able to travel to Europe twice with his classmates. While he started his collegiate career as a student athletic trainer at the University of Arizona (UofA), working 60 hours a week and having 18 credit hours of classes did not leave enough hours in the day to be successful. So, Greg turned to writing. It was rumored the journalism program at UofA might be discontinued, so cousin-in-law Gene Westerhaus got Greg a lunch with Northern Arizona University (NAU) journalism professor Josie Webber. After that, Greg moved to Flagstaff and enrolled at NAU, where he studied journalism, public relations, and photojournalism. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 1999. While at NAU, Greg worked on the school newspaper, “The Lumberjack,” and contributed freelance articles and photos as a string reporter for “The Arizona Republic” state newspaper.
It was at NAU that Greg met his soulmate, Kim. He sat behind her in their Public Relations 101 class, but she doesn’t remember him from there. She did, however, notice him in the hallways between classes. The week before Thanksgiving 1997, Greg spotted Kim and her friends at the Museum Club, and he approached their table and asked her to dance. Kim still recalls how he was dressed that night (his jeans were a little too short), and his charm and smile swayed her, so she agreed. Greg was tall, but so is Kim, and when Greg attempted to swing Kim around, he did not get his arm up high enough and wound up clotheslining her. Despite this awkward first impression, he was able to sneak his phone number to her that night by way of one of her friends, and they met again the next evening. The following Sunday morning, they attended church together at the Newman Center. Kim remembers that when he took and held her hand, something profound came over her, and she immediately knew they were ordained to be together. They were married in Glendale, Arizona, January 27, 2001, and honeymooned in Sedona. Greg and Kim often reminisced about that original church moment throughout their 24-year marriage.
Greg and Kim started their family. Tragically, they lost their first child, Jordan, in 2004. They were blessed with two more children; Emily, born in 2006, and Cole in 2007. After college, Greg began working as a sports reporter for “The Fountain Hills Times,” and won multiple Arizona Newspaper Association awards in 2000 for his photography. He left the “Times,” and in 2005 he and fellow “Times” co-worker Todd Elwood began an entertainment newspaper titled “Take 5 Entertainment and News Guide.” For the next three years, the two labored long and hard to produce a quality newspaper that served the community, and Greg loved every minute of it. He especially enjoyed writing their “Greg and Todd Do Stuff” column, which chronicled their wacky adventures which often included Kim and the kids. Kim helped edit the copy for each issue, and she, Greg, her parents and brothers, all rolled and bagged hundreds of papers on publishing day. After “Take 5” ended, Greg went to work for Choice Hotels as a content editor and business analyst. There, he cultivated many new relationships and was well liked. During one Halloween, a couple of friends showed up at work in costume dressed as Greg, complete with bald caps, which Greg thought was highly amusing. Following his tenure at Choice, Greg continued working in the tech field, first with the University of Phoenix and then with American Express. At home, Greg developed an interest in grilling and cooking, even starting a blog about the subject, and often asked his family to critique his culinary efforts. Biscuits and gravy were prepared at every Christmas and Indy 500 race, and Swedish meatballs every New Year’s Eve, just as his dad had done. He spent hours of quality time with Emily and Cole. He taught them to play tee ball (in the house, which ended when Cole hit one that knocked off Greg’s glasses), attended all the volleyball and baseball club games that he could, and couch-coached Arizona Wildcats basketball games alongside them (giving the kids curse word passes when U of A was losing).
Greg created wonderful memories for his family. In Old Tucson, Greg was selected from the audience at the saloon show, taken backstage and dressed up in a wig and showgirl costume, then brought back out on stage to dance. When the other (real) showgirls began to give too much attention to Greg, Kim shouted from the audience, “Hey! I put a ring on that! He’s mine!” to the rest of the crowd’s delight. Other trips included visits to Boston, Washington D.C., and Cedar Point amusement park in Ohio, where during their stay, Greg actually caught two fish at once using a split line. One time at Disneyland, Greg and the kids climbed into one of Alice’s teacups, but their combined long limbs made the attempt uncomfortable and hilarious, as they tried to make themselves fit by sitting with their knees up. They were reprimanded by a cast member and rode the attraction hitting all their knees on the center as they spun and laughed the entire time. At Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights, Greg’s job was to hold Kim’s hands down as her fight or flight response is, let us say, one sided. Greg never failed to entertain Emily’s and Cole’s friends with his “dad jokes,” such as the ones about polar bears and wolf nightmares (ask them, if you dare), and when his gnarly unclipped toenails cut holes in the bedsheets much to Kim’s chagrin, Greg simply recycled the sheets into a rope toy for his dog Gus, and it became Gus’ favorite plaything.
Greg enjoyed and loved his family immensely. He was lucky enough to spend almost 28 years with his college sweetheart. He was a devoted husband to the love of his life and a dedicated father to kids he couldn’t have possibly been prouder of. He was a gifted wordsmith, with a dry and sharp sense of humor, and he faced life with wit and a good-natured sensibility. It is extremely difficult to imagine the world without him, and he will be dearly missed.
Gregory Brent Crawford was born in Tucson, Arizona on September 28, 1976, to Gordon Benton, Sr. and Katherine Ann (Reznicek) Crawford. Greg is survived by his wife Kimberly Ann (Beckman), his children Emily Jean and Cole Gregory, and his brothers Gary Allan Crawford, Gordon Benton “Chip” Crawford, Jr., and Geoffrey Brandon Crawford. He is preceded in death by his sister Yvonne K. Hittle, his brother Grady Brian Crawford, his daughter Jordan Elizabeth, his mother Katherine, and his father Gordon.
Gregory Brent Crawford (01/26/25)
Growing up, Gregory Brent Crawford attended Tuller Episcopal school in Tucson, and from kindergarten through 8th grade enjoyed to the full extent the glories of being taught by nuns, including being forced to learn how to swim by getting pushed into a pool by the sisters. After that experience, he never fully embraced swimming, although as an adult he would swim or jet ski at the lake, but not without protest. Greg went to Sabino High School and graduated with the Class of 1994. During high school, he enjoyed playing JV baseball, and was fortunate to be able to travel to Europe twice with his classmates. While he started his collegiate career as a student athletic trainer at the University of Arizona (UofA), working 60 hours a week and having 18 credit hours of classes did not leave enough hours in the day to be successful. So, Greg turned to writing. It was rumored the journalism program at UofA might be discontinued, so cousin-in-law Gene Westerhaus got Greg a lunch with Northern Arizona University (NAU) journalism professor Josie Webber. After that, Greg moved to Flagstaff and enrolled at NAU, where he studied journalism, public relations, and photojournalism. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 1999. While at NAU, Greg worked on the school newspaper, “The Lumberjack,” and contributed freelance articles and photos as a string reporter for “The Arizona Republic” state newspaper.
It was at NAU that Greg met his soulmate, Kim. He sat behind her in their Public Relations 101 class, but she doesn’t remember him from there. She did, however, notice him in the hallways between classes. The week before Thanksgiving 1997, Greg spotted Kim and her friends at the Museum Club, and he approached their table and asked her to dance. Kim still recalls how he was dressed that night (his jeans were a little too short), and his charm and smile swayed her, so she agreed. Greg was tall, but so is Kim, and when Greg attempted to swing Kim around, he did not get his arm up high enough and wound up clotheslining her. Despite this awkward first impression, he was able to sneak his phone number to her that night by way of one of her friends, and they met again the next evening. The following Sunday morning, they attended church together at the Newman Center. Kim remembers that when he took and held her hand, something profound came over her, and she immediately knew they were ordained to be together. They were married in Glendale, Arizona, January 27, 2001, and honeymooned in Sedona. Greg and Kim often reminisced about that original church moment throughout their 24-year marriage.
Greg and Kim started their family. Tragically, they lost their first child, Jordan, in 2004. They were blessed with two more children; Emily, born in 2006, and Cole in 2007. After college, Greg began working as a sports reporter for “The Fountain Hills Times,” and won multiple Arizona Newspaper Association awards in 2000 for his photography. He left the “Times,” and in 2005 he and fellow “Times” co-worker Todd Elwood began an entertainment newspaper titled “Take 5 Entertainment and News Guide.” For the next three years, the two labored long and hard to produce a quality newspaper that served the community, and Greg loved every minute of it. He especially enjoyed writing their “Greg and Todd Do Stuff” column, which chronicled their wacky adventures which often included Kim and the kids. Kim helped edit the copy for each issue, and she, Greg, her parents and brothers, all rolled and bagged hundreds of papers on publishing day. After “Take 5” ended, Greg went to work for Choice Hotels as a content editor and business analyst. There, he cultivated many new relationships and was well liked. During one Halloween, a couple of friends showed up at work in costume dressed as Greg, complete with bald caps, which Greg thought was highly amusing. Following his tenure at Choice, Greg continued working in the tech field, first with the University of Phoenix and then with American Express. At home, Greg developed an interest in grilling and cooking, even starting a blog about the subject, and often asked his family to critique his culinary efforts. Biscuits and gravy were prepared at every Christmas and Indy 500 race, and Swedish meatballs every New Year’s Eve, just as his dad had done. He spent hours of quality time with Emily and Cole. He taught them to play tee ball (in the house, which ended when Cole hit one that knocked off Greg’s glasses), attended all the volleyball and baseball club games that he could, and couch-coached Arizona Wildcats basketball games alongside them (giving the kids curse word passes when U of A was losing).
Greg created wonderful memories for his family. In Old Tucson, Greg was selected from the audience at the saloon show, taken backstage and dressed up in a wig and showgirl costume, then brought back out on stage to dance. When the other (real) showgirls began to give too much attention to Greg, Kim shouted from the audience, “Hey! I put a ring on that! He’s mine!” to the rest of the crowd’s delight. Other trips included visits to Boston, Washington D.C., and Cedar Point amusement park in Ohio, where during their stay, Greg actually caught two fish at once using a split line. One time at Disneyland, Greg and the kids climbed into one of Alice’s teacups, but their combined long limbs made the attempt uncomfortable and hilarious, as they tried to make themselves fit by sitting with their knees up. They were reprimanded by a cast member and rode the attraction hitting all their knees on the center as they spun and laughed the entire time. At Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights, Greg’s job was to hold Kim’s hands down as her fight or flight response is, let us say, one sided. Greg never failed to entertain Emily’s and Cole’s friends with his “dad jokes,” such as the ones about polar bears and wolf nightmares (ask them, if you dare), and when his gnarly unclipped toenails cut holes in the bedsheets much to Kim’s chagrin, Greg simply recycled the sheets into a rope toy for his dog Gus, and it became Gus’ favorite plaything.
Greg enjoyed and loved his family immensely. He was lucky enough to spend almost 28 years with his college sweetheart. He was a devoted husband to the love of his life and a dedicated father to kids he couldn’t have possibly been prouder of. He was a gifted wordsmith, with a dry and sharp sense of humor, and he faced life with wit and a good-natured sensibility. It is extremely difficult to imagine the world without him, and he will be dearly missed.
Gregory Brent Crawford was born in Tucson, Arizona on September 28, 1976, to Gordon Benton, Sr. and Katherine Ann (Reznicek) Crawford. Greg is survived by his wife Kimberly Ann (Beckman), his children Emily Jean and Cole Gregory, and his brothers Gary Allan Crawford, Gordon Benton “Chip” Crawford, Jr., and Geoffrey Brandon Crawford. He is preceded in death by his sister Yvonne K. Hittle, his brother Grady Brian Crawford, his daughter Jordan Elizabeth, his mother Katherine, and his father Gordon.
< Back
© 2025 Dry Ice Graphics by Crawford. All Rights Reserved.