Edward William Crawford, 101, St. Cloud

December 6, 1922 - January 14, 2024

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, January 22, 2024 at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in St. Cloud for Edward William Crawford, age 101, of St. Cloud, who passed away on Sunday, January 14, 2024 at the St. Cloud Hospital. Reverend Jeremy Ploof will officiate. Burial, with full military honors, will be in the St. Joseph Parish Cemetery in Waite Park at 3:30 p.m. on Monday.

Visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 21, 2024 at the Daniel Funeral Home, St. Cloud and from 11:30 a.m. until the time of the service on Monday at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in St. Cloud. Parish prayers will be held at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday at the Daniel Funeral Home, St. Cloud.

Edward was born on December 6, 1922 to William “Bill” and Catherine (Gavigan) Crawford of Barnum, Iowa. After graduating from high school in 1940, he was recruited to attend Western Air College in Alhambra, CA. With the skills learned there, he soon found employment with North American Aviation in Inglewood, helping to build airplanes for the US and British military. The highlight of the job was making parts for the B-25 bombers used in Jimmy Doolittle’s raid on Tokyo in 1942.
Despite working in a vital industry, Ed joined the Army Air Corps (US Air Force) to further support the war effort. After training as an aerial radio operator and turret gunner, he served in the Mariana Islands of the central Pacific Theater as a ground-controlled approach operator, providing safe landings for returning aircraft. First trained to take lives and later to save lives, he was fortunate to use the second skill rather than the first.

After WWII, Ed returned to Iowa and there met his Wild Irish Rose, Marian Cahill, whom he married in 1948. Ed tried farming and trucking until 1954 when he began working for a farm store chain, first in Fort Dodge and later in Algona. After the company was purchased by Big Bear Farm Stores, he managed the Algona store and later transferred to St. Cloud to become a buyer. He worked in Merchandising and Inventory Control until his retirement in 1986.

Ed is a member of the Church of St. Paul and an Honorary Life Member of the Knights of Columbus, which he joined in 1943. He became a 4th Degree Knight in 1965 and served as Grand Knight for the Bishop Bartholome Council #12822 and as Faithful Navigator for the 4th Degree Knights of Columbus Father Pierz Assembly #530. In 2023 he was honored as Minnesota Knight of the Year. He is also a member of The American Legion Post 428, VFW Post 428, and Disabled American Veterans, and a charter member of The National WWII Museum in New Orleans.

Ed and Marian loved dancing, playing cards, and traveling. In their nearly 65 years together, they visited all 50 states by automobile, airplane, and motor home. Immensely proud of their Irish heritage, they particularly relished a trip to their ancestral homeland of Ireland. Ed spent many years researching his and Marian’s family trees, seeking out and establishing ties to their many distant cousins. He documented their histories in several books which are treasured by all of his family members. Ed enjoyed woodworking and crafted many furniture items for Marian and his children. A devout and faith-filled man, he became a familiar figure in his neighborhood, walking and praying the rosary. His personal goal was to put a smile on someone’s face each day.

Survivors include sons: Patrick (Jeanne) of Kansas City MO and Paul (Kim) of Marion IA; daughters: Kathleen (Mark) Bernick of Rice MN and MaryEllen (Gerry) Keymer of St. Cloud; son-in-law, Kevin Shiek of Ramsey MN; grandchildren: Kelly Van Maren, Ryan (Maggie) Crawford, and Conor Crawford, all of Kansas City MO, Sean Gohman of Laurium MI, Deb (Jay) Boehmler of Fort Worth TX, Mike (Kim) Keymer of Arlington VA, Daniel (Ginger) Keymer of Stevens Point WI, Tim (Cara) Keymer of St. Louis Park MN, Lisa (Jason) Grebe of Greenville WI, Brian (Shelly) Shiek of Andover MN, Ben (Tiffany) Shiek of Ramsey MN, Devin Shiek of Minneapolis MN, and Brigid (Ian) Findley of Sycamore IL; twenty-eight great-grandchildren; sisters: Patricia Schreier of Manson IA, Joan McMartin of Castle Rock CO, and Judith Roberts of Spring Hill FL.

Ed was preceded in death by his wife, Marian, on January 1, 2013, daughter Jane Shiek, brother, Leo and sisters, Kathleen Knox and Virginia Barrett.

Memorials in lieu of flowers will be donated to Ed’s favorite charities.