John P. Crawford passed away peacefully at his home on June 1, 2020. He was born on December 14, 1931 in Ada, Oklahoma; in 1941 his family moved to Muskogee where he attended Central High School. John was a member of the Army ROTC program while attending the University of Oklahoma; after graduating he served as finance officer at Fitsimmons Army Hospital in Denver during the Korean Conflict. John returned to Oklahoma for employment at the Oklahoma Insurance Department and at age 25 he was the youngest chief actuary in the country. After 10 years with the Insurance Department, he began his private practice as a consulting actuary. He represented companies throughout the country until his retirement in 1993. In 1994 he was elected the first Republican Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner and the Murrah Building bombing occurred a few months into his tenure. John always praised the Oklahoma Insurance community for their swift response to his call for help after the bombing. The insurance claims had been filed before FEMA arrived.
John loved to travel and liked to say that he had been around the world. He was an excellent bridge player and enjoyed playing racquetball. When Oklahoma City had a rugby football team he was a proud benefactor. He retired to Lake Tenkiller in 1999 and volunteered for the Oklahoma Water Resources Board monitoring the water quality of Lake Tenkiller and was also a volunteer math teacher at the Methodist Boys Home in Gore.
He is survived by Peggy, his wife of 63 years; daughter Gretchen Crawford; grandson Samuel Crawford; granddaughters Molly Crawford Worth and Abigail (Hattie) Crawford; brother Rev. William (Bill) Crawford. He was preceded in death by his sons, John P. Crawford III and Peter Troy Crawford.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to Nichols Hills United Methodist Church, 1212 Bedford, Nichols Hills, 73116.
