Carol Ruth Crawford

Carol is survived by her husband, Brian; her sons, Chad and Michael; her brother, Stephen.

Carol was born July 30th, 1955 in Chicago, Illinois to Ralph and Edna Holle. Despite constant teasing from her younger brother Steve, Carol was quick to stick up for him and help him whenever he needed it. Those that saw the two interact together can attest that this dynamic carried through with them all of their lives.

She was incredibly compassionate and helpful to a fault, always putting others before herself whether they be friends, family, students, or even relative strangers. However, in addition to her caring and selfless attitude, Carol was also intensely competitive (as those who were within earshot at trivia competitions at KC Bier Co. or elsewhere could no doubt attest). In her high school class of 700 students, Carol graduated as valedictorian from Ruskin High School in 1973. She was further recognized for her academic achievements when she graduated from Northwest Missouri State University with her BS in Elementary Education by the American Association of University Women as the top female student in her class.

Carol taught kindergarten at Pleasant Hill Elementary from 1977 until the birth of her second son, Mike, in 1991. Mike was born with cerebral palsy and she temporarily left teaching to better care for him. Carol and her husband Brian are stalwart advocates for Mike as well as his friends and classmates who are differently abled. They both volunteered countless hours with such programs as Children’s TLC, Children’s Center for the Visually Impaired, Liggett Trail, and Developing Potential Incorporated, Mike’s current adult day program.

Not one to ever take much of a breath, Carol was also very active in her oldest son Chad’s academic life, serving as room mother and in the PTA from Chad’s time in kindergarten up until his high school graduation in 2005. In September 2000, Carol returned to her love of teaching at Holy Trinity Lutheran Preschool, eventually becoming the director of the program. Holy Trinity wasn’t just her employer but her second family. For almost 50 years, Carol had an indelible impact on the church as a volunteer, friend, and missionary as well as teacher.

When she did take a moment for herself, Carol was an avid reader and movie-goer as well as a trivia-buff. Her family was swept up with her love for all things Disney as they went on many family vacations to Disney World throughout her life.

For those who knew her, Carol’s sudden passing comes as a devastating loss to all of the people and communities she touched throughout her life. These words are ill-fitted to describe how deeply she’ll be missed by the people that loved her. But if all of us can try, just a little, to be more like Carol Crawford, maybe one day we can come close to honoring the sacrifices made by and the impact of this irreplaceable woman.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions in Carol's name be made to Developing Potential Inc. (https://developingpotential.org/take-action) and/or Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (holytrinitylcms.org), Grandview, Missouri.