Crawford, James Owen (Red)

James Owen (Red) Crawford, of Blacksburg, was born February 7, 1938, in Montgomery County, the third son and the seventh living child of Willard William Crawford and Nellie Virginia Atkins Crawford. James worked hard and fought to live life for his children and grandchildren. When others gave up on him, he showed them how stubborn he could be and continued to live to cheer Dale Earnhardt and Chevrolet as they crossed under the checkered flag. James worked construction and was so proud of helping build McBryde Hall and Lane Stadium and other buildings at Virginia Tech. He also built Muse Hall at Radford University and Christiansburg High School. He was a member of Vicker Pentecostal Holiness Church and served as Deacon, Sunday School Superintendent and Piano Player. He loved his job at ATK, where he reported every morning to the River Garage as a Locomotive Mechanic. He was a member of Local 3-495 of the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International Union, AFL-CIO. James left this world on February 24, 2013, surrounded by his family and is now enjoying a reunion in heaven with his mother and father, brothers, Willard Leslie and Norman Eugene “John” “Pops” Crawford, sisters, Edith Akers, Juanita Phillips and Georgia “Peanut” Moore. Celebrate James’ life together with his sister, Nell Westmoreland, of Axton; number one son, Dennis and wife, Donna Crawford and two children, Hunter and Chloe, of Floyd County; daughter, Elaine and husband, Dan Cook and sons, Daniel Cook, of Newport and Kevin Cupp and fiance, Taylor White, of Christiansburg; and daughter, Carissa and partner, Lori Eichler, of Charlotte. The family would like to thank James’ second family, the nurses at The Kroontje Health Center at Warm Hearth Village, for caring for their Dad, and requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Warm Hearth Village Foundation, 2603 Warm Hearth Drive, Blacksburg VA 24060, or Camp Bethel, PO Box 71, Woolwine, VA 24185, in his memory. Funeral services will be conducted Wednesday, February 27, 2013, at 4 p.m. in the McCoy Funeral Home Chapel, 150 Country Club Drive, SW, Blacksburg, with the Rev. Kirby Phillips officiating. The family will receive friends from 2 to 4 p.m., prior to the service.