Terri Lynn Bowers-Crawford was born on October 12, 1967, in Mesa, Arizona, to Cathy Elizabeth Bowers and James Dawson. Terri was the middle child and only girl, sandwiched between Shane and Joey. Terri’s mother, Cathy, had a difficult young adulthood, struggling with drugs and spending time in and out of prison, and Terri’s father was absent from her life while she was growing up. As a result, Terri and her brothers lived with, and were raised by, their grandparents, who Terri adored. She was brought up in an LDS household, attended church regularly, went to girls’ camp, and excelled in school. Terri was a no-nonsense child, independent and not inclined to play with toys and dolls like other little girls. Instead, she actively participated in team sports, such as baseball, volleyball, basketball, and soccer, and she played them all exceptionally well. She helped take her high school to state championships. Since her grandparents were older, her Aunt Darla traveled with her around the state to the games, and Terri and Darla became very close, and stayed close for the remainder of their lives.
Terri was a sly and mischievous teenager, and she loved to have fun and be adventurous. For example, she had no aversions to climbing up, and running around, on the roof of the temple library at night. Terri also had a big heart, and she was never afraid to stand up for the underdog and to be there to help anyone in need. On more than one occasion, Terri went to battle against boys much larger than her who were bullying and insulting her friends or family members. She even confronted a home invasion face-to-face, scaring the perpetrator off. She was a force to be reckoned with.
Terri started working at age 15, and she often babysat for the same families for years. Long into her adulthood, Terri loved and stayed connected to the children she had helped raise as their babysitter. She went to their plays, attended funerals and weddings, and cherished their milestones and life events.
When Terri was a teenager and her grandmother, Ruth, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, Terri realized her grandfather, Leo, was too old to effectively manage Ruth’s illness. Terri stepped up and took care of her grandmother, feeding and bathing her, changing diapers, even handling the hostility and anger Ruth bestowed on her as Ruth steadily declined. When Ruth began to believe that Terri was an intruder intent on stealing her husband, Leo, away from her, out of respect for her grandfather, Terri temporarily moved out of the house and lived in her truck, while still attending high school. After her grandmother’s passing, Terri returned home and took care of her grandfather, who lived well into his 90s, long enough to give Terri away when she married Gordon (Chip) Crawford on April 19, 1997, and later to hold Terri’s firstborn son, Cory.
Terri and Chip bought a house in Mesa, and Terri helped raise Chip’s two children from his first marriage, Christopher and Megan, as her own. They had two children together, Cory and Dylan, and the family of six enjoyed a life of school events, scouting, soccer games, tent camping, and trips to Disneyland and the beach, although Terri was never that fond of the beach. Despite the busy schedule, and ever worsening health issues, Terri was able to hold down two full-time jobs concurrently and co-parent four young children. In fact, Terri and Chip invited Terri’s nieces and nephew to come live in their home, and for several years included them in their daily family activities and helped raise them.
As her experiences taking care of her grandparents, and her nieces and nephew, signify, Terri’s’ heart knew no bounds, and she had such an empathetic and compassionate soul. When Chip’s mother, Carolyn, became too ill from COPD to continue living on her own and was forced to leave her house in Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona, Terri welcomed Carolyn into their home and helped take care of her for almost ten years, up until the day she died this last August. Carolyn loved Terri dearly, and often said how much she enjoyed Terri’s company, even more than her son Chip’s.
When Terri was in her twenties, she had her gall bladder removed, and during the surgery the doctor accidentally cut into and damaged her liver. She also began to suffer from severe migraines, leading to chronic insomnia and prolonged vomiting, and later she developed respiratory problems. The respiratory issues eventually led to her having two-thirds of her right lung surgically removed. She received a head injury from an on-the-job accident at the hospital where she worked and went into cardiac arrest. The head injury resulted in ongoing seizures and further complicated and increased her migraine activity. She was unable to continue working, and her health worsened when she developed spinal problems, including collapsed and compressed fractures of multiple vertebrae. A car accident nearly destroyed her left leg, and she went through multiple surgeries to restore the leg.
At some point, Terri’s estranged mother, Cathy, came back into her life. Cathy was dying of cancer. Terri forgave her mother and began taking care of her. She drove her to doctor appointments, fed, dressed, and bathed her until her mother passed away. She continued caring for Cathy’s husband, Terri’s stepfather Raul, who was also sick, and took care of him until he died. During this period, Terri lost her older brother, Shane, who succumbed from a heart attack. Not long afterward, Terri lost her father, Jim, with whom she had reunited several years earlier, as well as her beloved Aunt Darla. Terri’s grief and depression were unmeasurable and began to take its toll on her spirit. These were difficult times for Terri, and she was often absent from home. For several years, she struggled to deal with her mom’s illness and passing, often making poor and self-destructive choices, leaving her family sad and heartbroken. The decisions she made led to actions that worsened her mental and physical health condition. Eventually, Terri came back home to be with her family.
Still, Terri continued to make herself available to her relatives, friends, and neighbors, to talk and counsel with them, assist them in any way she could, and to offer encouragement and moral support, sometimes to her own detriment and well-being.
Despite the nearly constant pain and discomfort, and fully aware of the damage and heartache she had caused her family, Terri loved and enjoyed her family and worked hard to redeem herself. She asked for forgiveness from her husband and her children. She sought to reconnect with the grandchildren who barely knew her and the new grandchildren who had yet to get to know her. In fact, Terri was known to be a baby-snatcher; she would steal them away, smiling and cooing in a high-pitched voice “Mama loves you so mUUUUUch!” When she became a grandma, she simply switched Mama to Grandma: “Gramma loves you so mUUUUUch!” They would smile, and Terri would smile. Terri adored being a grandma and earned the nickname Grandma Candy for always sneaking candy to the grandbabies, regardless of whether they had eaten real food or not. They’d come prancing down the hallway with mouths full of white chocolate Reese’s, and we’d know exactly who they had been hanging out with.
Terri spoiled her miniature chihuahua, Punkin, who allowed Terri and Chip to live in the bedroom with her, and who slept curled up in Terri’s lap underneath the blankets every night and growled protectively at anyone who came near her. Terri was always cold, so her son, Cory, installed direct wiring for a fireplace heater in the bedroom on Terri’s side of the bed, and you could often find both Terri and Punkin sitting and shivering in front of it trying to keep warm.
Terri loved Christmas. She loved buying presents and listening to holiday music and watching Christmas movies, and she cherished all the family traditions that the Crawfords established over the years. Even her ringtones were all Christmas songs, all year long. She loved the TV show “General Hospital,” and although Chip tried hard to avoid it, he eventually knew who all the characters were and their storylines. Terri loved sweets, Cool Whip, flavored coffee, scratcher tickets, and breakfast for dinner. She loved shopping, especially at Thrift stores, and always found the best deals. She loved to think she won every argument, because in her mind, she had. She loved to sing and dance, to the point where she would take her hands off the steering wheel while driving to dance while everyone else in the car screamed in fear. She loved her husband, all four of her kids, and her grandbabies. And she loved to laugh.
Whenever she found something particularly funny, she laughed long and hard. Her laughter was joyous and infectious, and when she got going, you found yourself unable to resist joining in with her. The Crawford family has always handled life’s curveballs through laughter. We laugh with each other, laugh for each other, and laugh at each other, but most importantly, we laugh together, and when the tough times are behind us, it is the laughter that we always remember.
From Megan N. Crawford-White:
When Terri came into my life I was a sad little kid who’s mom left her. She took on the role of mothering us, and I’ve always respected her for that cuz lord knows we weren’t easy kids. She was strong and fierce and intimidating to so many people. But never to me. I think the broken little girl in me saw the broken little girl in her and I viewed her as my ally. Growing up, she was my advocate against my dad, who had no idea what to do with a teenage girl and allll the attitude and boys that came with it. She was always the voice of reason, and I would have lied and snuck out way more than I did if it wasn’t for her. She held me accountable for my poor choices, but loved me regardless.
Then, I spent most of my adult life rooting for Terri and always hoping she would get the life she deserved. Because she deserved so much more than this. After her accident I was one of the few people who could actually help and care for her. If you didn’t know, Terri is the absolute WORST patient in the history of patients. But she listened to me and let me care for her, and it was my honor to do it. I am grateful that my dad chose such a strong independent woman to be an example to me. I held Terri accountable for her poor choices, but loved her regardless.
How could I have known I’d need to remember your laughter,
The way it suddenly came on.
Or how it flowed in choruses,
Like a never-ending song.
How could I have known I’d need to remember your laughter,
How it spread like wildfire.
Igniting those around you, we couldn’t help our smiles.
How could I have known I’d need to remember your laughter,
Laughing until our stomachs ached
You’d double over, grab your side, with tears streamed down your face.
But
I promise I’ll always remember the laughter.
How you glowed.
How you lived.
How when all seemed lost, a little laugh was something we could give.
I’ll always remember the laughter.
Your warmth.
Your love.
Your light.
How when we felt weak, a little laugh could inspire us to fight.
Terri Lynn Bowers-Crawford (12/11/23)
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Terri Lynn Bowers-Crawford was born on October 12, 1967, in Mesa, Arizona, to Cathy Elizabeth Bowers and James Dawson. Terri was the middle child and only girl, sandwiched between Shane and Joey. Terri’s mother, Cathy, had a difficult young adulthood, struggling with drugs and spending time in and out of prison, and Terri’s father was absent from her life while she was growing up. As a result, Terri and her brothers lived with, and were raised by, their grandparents, who Terri adored. She was brought up in an LDS household, attended church regularly, went to girls’ camp, and excelled in school. Terri was a no-nonsense child, independent and not inclined to play with toys and dolls like other little girls. Instead, she actively participated in team sports, such as baseball, volleyball, basketball, and soccer, and she played them all exceptionally well. She helped take her high school to state championships. Since her grandparents were older, her Aunt Darla traveled with her around the state to the games, and Terri and Darla became very close, and stayed close for the remainder of their lives.
Terri was a sly and mischievous teenager, and she loved to have fun and be adventurous. For example, she had no aversions to climbing up, and running around, on the roof of the temple library at night. Terri also had a big heart, and she was never afraid to stand up for the underdog and to be there to help anyone in need. On more than one occasion, Terri went to battle against boys much larger than her who were bullying and insulting her friends or family members. She even confronted a home invasion face-to-face, scaring the perpetrator off. She was a force to be reckoned with.
Terri started working at age 15, and she often babysat for the same families for years. Long into her adulthood, Terri loved and stayed connected to the children she had helped raise as their babysitter. She went to their plays, attended funerals and weddings, and cherished their milestones and life events.
When Terri was a teenager and her grandmother, Ruth, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, Terri realized her grandfather, Leo, was too old to effectively manage Ruth’s illness. Terri stepped up and took care of her grandmother, feeding and bathing her, changing diapers, even handling the hostility and anger Ruth bestowed on her as Ruth steadily declined. When Ruth began to believe that Terri was an intruder intent on stealing her husband, Leo, away from her, out of respect for her grandfather, Terri temporarily moved out of the house and lived in her truck, while still attending high school. After her grandmother’s passing, Terri returned home and took care of her grandfather, who lived well into his 90s, long enough to give Terri away when she married Gordon (Chip) Crawford on April 19, 1997, and later to hold Terri’s firstborn son, Cory.
Terri and Chip bought a house in Mesa, and Terri helped raise Chip’s two children from his first marriage, Christopher and Megan, as her own. They had two children together, Cory and Dylan, and the family of six enjoyed a life of school events, scouting, soccer games, tent camping, and trips to Disneyland and the beach, although Terri was never that fond of the beach. Despite the busy schedule, and ever worsening health issues, Terri was able to hold down two full-time jobs concurrently and co-parent four young children. In fact, Terri and Chip invited Terri’s nieces and nephew to come live in their home, and for several years included them in their daily family activities and helped raise them.
As her experiences taking care of her grandparents, and her nieces and nephew, signify, Terri’s’ heart knew no bounds, and she had such an empathetic and compassionate soul. When Chip’s mother, Carolyn, became too ill from COPD to continue living on her own and was forced to leave her house in Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona, Terri welcomed Carolyn into their home and helped take care of her for almost ten years, up until the day she died this last August. Carolyn loved Terri dearly, and often said how much she enjoyed Terri’s company, even more than her son Chip’s.
When Terri was in her twenties, she had her gall bladder removed, and during the surgery the doctor accidentally cut into and damaged her liver. She also began to suffer from severe migraines, leading to chronic insomnia and prolonged vomiting, and later she developed respiratory problems. The respiratory issues eventually led to her having two-thirds of her right lung surgically removed. She received a head injury from an on-the-job accident at the hospital where she worked and went into cardiac arrest. The head injury resulted in ongoing seizures and further complicated and increased her migraine activity. She was unable to continue working, and her health worsened when she developed spinal problems, including collapsed and compressed fractures of multiple vertebrae. A car accident nearly destroyed her left leg, and she went through multiple surgeries to restore the leg.
At some point, Terri’s estranged mother, Cathy, came back into her life. Cathy was dying of cancer. Terri forgave her mother and began taking care of her. She drove her to doctor appointments, fed, dressed, and bathed her until her mother passed away. She continued caring for Cathy’s husband, Terri’s stepfather Raul, who was also sick, and took care of him until he died. During this period, Terri lost her older brother, Shane, who succumbed from a heart attack. Not long afterward, Terri lost her father, Jim, with whom she had reunited several years earlier, as well as her beloved Aunt Darla. Terri’s grief and depression were unmeasurable and began to take its toll on her spirit. These were difficult times for Terri, and she was often absent from home. For several years, she struggled to deal with her mom’s illness and passing, often making poor and self-destructive choices, leaving her family sad and heartbroken. The decisions she made led to actions that worsened her mental and physical health condition. Eventually, Terri came back home to be with her family.
Still, Terri continued to make herself available to her relatives, friends, and neighbors, to talk and counsel with them, assist them in any way she could, and to offer encouragement and moral support, sometimes to her own detriment and well-being.
Despite the nearly constant pain and discomfort, and fully aware of the damage and heartache she had caused her family, Terri loved and enjoyed her family and worked hard to redeem herself. She asked for forgiveness from her husband and her children. She sought to reconnect with the grandchildren who barely knew her and the new grandchildren who had yet to get to know her. In fact, Terri was known to be a baby-snatcher; she would steal them away, smiling and cooing in a high-pitched voice “Mama loves you so mUUUUUch!” When she became a grandma, she simply switched Mama to Grandma: “Gramma loves you so mUUUUUch!” They would smile, and Terri would smile. Terri adored being a grandma and earned the nickname Grandma Candy for always sneaking candy to the grandbabies, regardless of whether they had eaten real food or not. They’d come prancing down the hallway with mouths full of white chocolate Reese’s, and we’d know exactly who they had been hanging out with.
Terri spoiled her miniature chihuahua, Punkin, who allowed Terri and Chip to live in the bedroom with her, and who slept curled up in Terri’s lap underneath the blankets every night and growled protectively at anyone who came near her. Terri was always cold, so her son, Cory, installed direct wiring for a fireplace heater in the bedroom on Terri’s side of the bed, and you could often find both Terri and Punkin sitting and shivering in front of it trying to keep warm.
Terri loved Christmas. She loved buying presents and listening to holiday music and watching Christmas movies, and she cherished all the family traditions that the Crawfords established over the years. Even her ringtones were all Christmas songs, all year long. She loved the TV show “General Hospital,” and although Chip tried hard to avoid it, he eventually knew who all the characters were and their storylines. Terri loved sweets, Cool Whip, flavored coffee, scratcher tickets, and breakfast for dinner. She loved shopping, especially at Thrift stores, and always found the best deals. She loved to think she won every argument, because in her mind, she had. She loved to sing and dance, to the point where she would take her hands off the steering wheel while driving to dance while everyone else in the car screamed in fear. She loved her husband, all four of her kids, and her grandbabies. And she loved to laugh.
Whenever she found something particularly funny, she laughed long and hard. Her laughter was joyous and infectious, and when she got going, you found yourself unable to resist joining in with her. The Crawford family has always handled life’s curveballs through laughter. We laugh with each other, laugh for each other, and laugh at each other, but most importantly, we laugh together, and when the tough times are behind us, it is the laughter that we always remember.
From Megan N. Crawford-White:
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