Theola Crawford

On January 3, 2025, Theola Crawford, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend passed away peacefully. She was 99 years old, just 40 days from her 100th birthday. 

Theola was born February 12, 1925, in Hubbard, Arizona to Wilford and Mary Ann Peterson. She grew up on a farm in nearby Glenbar with 9 siblings. She loved life on the farm and helped out with daily chores and also had fun with her siblings and friends. 

She attended elementary and high school in Pima. She loved school and was always involved in sports of some kind. She excelled in basketball, volleyball, softball, and even badminton. Theola also had a beautiful singing voice and sang in school choirs and in a trio at Eastern Arizona College. She had to work to earn money to pay for college, so she went in spurts to EA and ASU. Some of her jobs were as a payroll clerk and as a teller at Valley National Bank in Chandler. 

In 1950, she married Reed Scott Brown. Reed had bought a small home on 3 ½ acres in Chandler and they settled there. They had four children: Scott, Carol, Rod, & Reed. In 1958, after a long battle with cancer, Reed passed away leaving Theola with four small children. She was devastated but soldiered on. Six years later, in 1960, she married Norman Crawford, whose wife, Jean had died of Leukemia. Norman had 5 living children, Norm Jr., Claudia, Carol, Max, and Jennifer. It was a packed house with all eleven living together. 

Theola had many friends, wherever she lived and was loved by all who knew her. She was a faithful, lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served in many different callings, including singing in the ward choir. 

Her second husband, Norman passed away in 2014 shortly after their 50th wedding anniversary. She was able to live in her home for a little over 8 more years, with her son Scott as a watchful companion. For the past 1 ½ years she has resided in a small care home in Chandler. 

She is survived by seven children, Norman Crawford Jr. (Barbara), Carol Gililland (John), Scott Brown, Carol Cooper (Scott), Rodney Brown (Patricia), Reed Brown (Jo Anna), and Jennifer Florio: 19 grandchildren, and 32 great-grandchildren. 

We will all miss her very much but are happy to know she has returned home and has been reunited with loved ones and with her loving Savior.

A Visitation will be held Friday, January 17, 2025 from 6:00 – 8:00 PM at Whitney & Murphy Bueler Mortuary, 14 W. Hulet Drive, Chandler, AZ 85225. 

A Visitation will be held Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 10:00 AM followed by a Funeral Service at 11:00 AM at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint, 650 S. Cooper Road, Chandler, AZ 85225. 

The Funeral Service will be streamed on Zoom at the following link:

https://zoom.us/j/91283032952