Donald Crawford Obituary - (1925-2015) - The Mercury News
Birth: 1925
Death: 2015
DONALD FREDERICK CRAWFORD Oct. 13, 1925 – Dec. 3, 2015 Resident of Los Gatos A resident of Los Gatos, CA for nearly 50 years, Don passed away peacefully at home of natural causes on December 3, 2015, at the age 90. He was surrounded by his loving wife of 50 years, Diana, and his two beloved children, Dawson and Dara.
Don was born October 13, 1925, the youngest of six children by loving parents George Washington Crawford, a dairy farmer, and Grace Burgess Crawford. He grew up in Spokane, Washington during the Great Depression, where his parents also ran a boarding house, and where he attended Lewis and Clark High School. At the tender age of 17, and at the height of World War II, Don enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. After basic training at Camp Elliot in San Diego in March of 1943, he quickly found himself on a transport ship leaving the Port of San Francisco to fight in the South Pacific. As he left the port, his lasting vision and memory was of Coit Tower – and how he hoped he would return there someday.
On September 15, 1944, as part of the First Marine Corps Division, Don's platoon invaded the island of Peleliu, one of the Palua Islands held by the Japanese in the South Pacific. Peleliu was just six miles long and two miles wide – but was held by a garrison of more than 10,000 Japanese troops. The island's airfield allowed Japanese planes to threaten any Allied operation in the Philippines, and General Douglas MacArthur pushed for an amphibious attack in order to neutralize this threat. During the invasion, as a heavy machine gunner, Don's amphibious tank lodged on a shallow reef close to shore and became a target for Japanese mortar fire. His tank was hit, and most of his platoon was killed or injured in the explosion. Don found himself in the ocean, next to what he thought to be an unconscious and injured fellow Marine. Don treaded water for 4 hours, keeping the Marine afloat, while machine gun and mortar fire raged around them. They were rescued and taken to a Naval vessel offshore, where he learned his comrade he had tried to save had already been killed by the initial mortar blast. The Marines were finally able to secure the island. Don was awarded the Purple Heart, along with other accommodations from the Marine Corps for his bravery. The invasion of Peleliu resulted in the highest death toll of any amphibious assault in U.S. military history.
Don was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in March of 1945, and understandably sought to find a quieter existence. He attended Washington State University and obtained a degree in Psychology, with a minor in Penology. He moved to what was then the very sleepy south Bay Area to be with family, and eventually became a deputy sheriff with the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department in 1951. He said his life truly began when he met the love of his life, Diana Jean DeVries, in 1964. As a detective with the Sheriff's Department at the time, he had met Diana while she was serving as an interpreter for the hearing impaired at the Santa Clara County Superior Courthouse. They were married shortly thereafter in 1966, and moved to Los Gatos where they began to start a family — first born was their son Dawson in 1967, then their daughter Dara in 1973. For Don, nothing ever compared with being a father. To say he was a proud, loving and devoted parent to Dawson and Dara would be a gross understatement. Whether it was on family trips, making every basketball game, belly laughs, or quiet moments, his first and foremost priority was always enjoying time with his children, and being able to support them in any way he could. With a larger than life presence, Don was always a hit with Dawson and Dara's friends, and that remains the case to this day.
From 1974 to 1981 Don was the Sheriff's Department Sergeant in charge of security at the Santa Clara County Superior Courthouse. Known fondly during that time by judges and attorneys as "Doc" Crawford for peacefully subduing a large and aggressive psychiatric patient at the courthouse, "Doc" retired in 1981, after a long and colorful 30 years. He worked as a licensed private investigator in Los Gatos for decades thereafter, but his ultimate devotion was always his family. He later welcomed the light of his elder years – his four grandchildren: Ryan, Connor, Grace, and Lily, who all lovingly referred to him as "Danda." Nothing brought Don greater joy than spending time with his grandchildren and seeing them grow.
He is survived by his wife Diana J. Crawford, son Dawson G. Crawford, daughter Dara (Crawford) Penello, daughter-in-law Rachel S. Crawford, son-in-law Albert Penello, and his four grandchildren Ryan D. Crawford (13), Connor G. Crawford (11), Grace M. Crawford (8), and Lily J. Penello (1).
Although his loss is immeasurable, his love lives on with all of his family. In lieu of flowers, Don's family requests donations be made to the Wounded Warrior Foundation. A service to celebrate his life will be held in Los Gatos in February.
View the online memorial for DONALD FREDERICK CRAWFORD
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