William Newbold Crawford, Jr.

Bill was born May 13, 1931 in Greensboro, NC to the late William Newbold Crawford, Sr. and Dorothy Merrimon Crawford. He attended Christ School in Arden, NC in 1947 – 1948 and graduated from Greensboro High School in 1950. He enlisted in the US Navy September 1950 where he was affectionally known as “The Colonel”. A designation given to him by his CO. He was discharged July 1954 and attended his beloved N.C. State University. Upon leaving college, Bill began his career in Sales as a Manufacturer’s Rep “rag peddler” for Corbin Trousers. Being the lady’s man, he soon switched to women’s wear and made his mark with John Meyer and Villager among others. As his territory increased to include the entire Southeastern United States, Bill invested in an airplane to better serve his customers. This investment became a passion and in 1974 flew his new wife and step-children on an unforgettable adventure to Connecticut. On a fishing trip to Figure 8 Island in 1984, the Crawford brothers and spouses were captivated by the beauty of coastal NC, sold their homes and moved to Bald Eagle Lane never looking back.

Bill developed many loves during his lifetime. Those included golf, cooking (he would fry anything), scuba diving and furniture making but his greatest love was entertaining his family and friends. It’s no surprise the number of friendships developed over the years as Bill never met a stranger. He was loved by all who knew him and will be forever remembered for the energy he brought to the room and his hilarious bawdy jokes.

Bill is survived by his devoted wife of 47 years Barbara (Bobbi) W. Crawford; a daughter Merrimon (Merri) Crawford Pladsen (Glenn) of Arvada, CO; a step-daughter Kimberly (Kim) W. Horton of Lake Oswego, OR; stepsons Richard (Rick) A Williams, Jr. (Jane) of Charlotte, NC; Kenneth (Ken) S. Williams (Beverly) of Hampstead, NC; brother Branch M. Crawford of Wilmington, NC; nieces Leigh C. Sewell (Joe) of Fuquay-Varina, NC; Maude (Bitsy) Crawford of Wilmington, NC; grandchildren Michael (Brad) B. Hill (Brooke) of Raleigh, NC; Justin H. Williams (Taylor) of Wilmington, NC; Brenden S. Williams of Raleigh, NC; Chauncey L. Williams of Charlotte, NC; Ann Hudson Williams of Raleigh, NC and a host of dear life-long friends.

The family wishes to extend a special thank you to Shayne Pelham, his loving and devoted caregiver who went above and beyond to make his last year comfortable.

A Celebration of Bill’s Life will be held at 1:00 Saturday January 8th, 2022 at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 107 Deerfield Rd, Hampstead, NC. If you would like to honor the memory of Bill, the family has requested donations be made to Holy Trinity Episcopal Church at the address above.

You may share memories and condolences with his family at www.andrewsmortuary.com/obituaries