Martha Crawford

86, passed away on January 11, 2014. She is survived by daughters Judy Johnson and Linda Crawford, sons Richard Crawford and Joseph (Teresa) Crawford; 8 grandchildren and 9 ½ great-grandchildren. Martha was preceded in death by her husband Joe S. Crawford, daughter Nancy Foster, grandson Brett Johnson, and her seven siblings.

A memorial gathering will be held on Saturday, January 18, 2014 at St. Jude Catholic Church, 5353 McFarland Road, Indianapolis, IN 46227 from 10:00 - 11:00 am with a funeral mass immediately following. In lieu of flowers, her family request donations be sent to either St. Jude Parish Tuition Assistance Program at the church address, or to St. Jude Children Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, or visit their website at www.stjude.org.

Martha’s cremains will be buried with Dad's in Greensburg, IN, sometime later this month in a small service with the immediate family members.

There is no doubt from anyone who knew Grandma Crawford that the main joys in life were her family, helping others, or crocheting afghans. And these often overlapped. What she loved to do was to crochet while watching her game-show channel, tennis cable channel, or Long Island Psychic.

As soon as the grandchildren begin arriving, Grandma began a tradition: she would take all of them out to eat and for a movie for the birthday grandchild’s celebration and the birthday grandchild got to choose both the restaurant and the movie. She babysat several of her grandchildren over the years but she also was able to watch her great-grandchildren as well. Up to the end, she put Olivia on the school bus and took care of her when she got off the school bus until her mother picked her up.

She made hundreds, possibly thousands of three-inch plastic crosses woven with ribbon for the second graders making their First Communion at Sacred Heart School in Cincinnati, OH, where daughter Linda taught. She cut out and stapled hundreds of “journals” also for second-graders learning to write in Linda’s classes.

Max and Joshua the oldest great grandchildren now attend college.

Richie’s granddaughter Abby would often stay with Grandma during vacation time or summer break while Grandpa Richie and Grandma Nina could continue their full-time jobs.

Though Joey’s grandson Alec lived quite a ways from Grandma in Dayton, he loved to come visit “great, Great Grandma” when Grandpa Joey and Grandma Teresa drove to Indy.

Through the years Grandma has followed Tyler’s basketball games and McKenna’s dancing career. Calvin and Atticus were just getting to know their “great, great grandma”.

Grandma made each of the children and grandchildren a special afghan either of their favorite colors or the colors of their favorite NFL/CFL/NHL colors. And as a baby, each grandchild was given a special baby afghan. Every year St. Jude’s Festival would receive at least one of her full-size afghans for auction, and many years, she also sent in a baby afghan or two. And if any of her children or grandchildren knew of someone having a baby, that baby also got one of the precious baby afghans Grandma made. One little girl even got a new one when her baby sister received one of the new afghans, and the little girl’s afghan was in shreds. Honestly, Grandma would have made a baby afghan for every new born in Indy if she could have.

Her latest crochet project was crocheted hats which she gave to grandchildren but also to homeless in Indy. I’m sure there were many warm heads that might not have had that protection w/o Grandma’s hats.

She always made a dish for the Mercy Meals at St. Jude when they asked her. And now those in the parish will make meals for her Mercy dinner.

After everyone said their goodbye to Mom, she went peacefully on Saturday, January 11. This was mom's 67th wedding anniversary, and honestly, we believed my dad, who passed almost 20 years, ago would come get her sometime after midnight, which is what happened.

The Palliative care protocol at St. Francis ensured the process was peaceful.

A memorial gathering will be held on Saturday. January 18th at St. Jude Catholic Church from 10:00 -11:00 a.m. with a memorial mass at 11:00 a.m.

Arrangements under the direction of Little & Sons Funeral Home, Indianapolis, IN.