Barbara Anne Crawford, 80, went to be with the Lord April 30, 2015. She was with her daughter Lin Crawford Ballew and son-in-law Richard Ballew, with whom she lived. Barbara lived all over the place, but Detroit, Mich., Wingo, Ky., and Memphis and Brighton, Tenn., were her stomping grounds. However, she recently moved to Leesburg, Fla., where she was the happiest ever.
Barbara is survived by her daughters, Lin Crawford Ballew and Jan Crawford Johnson, their respective husbands Richard Ballew and Neil Johnson, and seven granddaughters and one grandson, Michael Elmore. She was preceded in death by her husband, Merl “Rudy” Crawford, her brother, James “Jimmy” Russell and her parents, Voris and Cleo Russell.
Barbara was an “actress” of note, at least in her mind! She was in several plays at the Ruffin Theater in Covington, Tenn., including the role of the wicked stepmother in Cinderella. She was loved and admired for her love of life and zest for living. She went parasailing in Hawaii with her daughters, hot air ballooning in Albuquerque, New Mexico with her friends and went on several cruises. She loved life!
Barbara loved the medical field. She was a medical secretary and later a medical transcriptionist. She wanted to help doctors make doctors, so she donated her body to the medical school at University of Central Florida.
Barbara also loved cats. She got it in her mind that she was going to get a three-wheeled bicycle and ride to a cat shelter so she could take care of cats!
Therefore, in lieu of flowers, please make donations to the University of Central Florida, The Cat Protection Society, Inc., or the charity of your choice.
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