It is with great sadness that the family of James Harry Crawford, 82, of Portage, WI announces that he passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on February 17 after a battle with cancer.

Jim was born on April 17, 1943 to Delbert Patrick Crawford and Helen Harriet Crawford (Schnabel) in Portage, WI. He attended St. John's Lutheran School for kindergarten through eighth grade and then went to Concordia College Milwaukee for high school, studying a curriculum designed to prepare him for future service as a pastor or teacher. Jim studied for a degree in education at Concordia College in River Forest, IL. There he met fellow student, Kathryn Lillian Firehammer. After graduating with a BA in elementary education, Jim and Kathryn married on June 26, 1965 at Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Joseph, MI. They moved to Green Bay, WI to take up teaching positions, Jim at Redeemer Lutheran School and Kathryn at Pilgrim Lutheran Church. Jim returned to Portage in 1969 to work with his dad at Crawford Oil. At this point, the company was a very small family business and had only a few trucks. After taking over the company, Jim grew the business into a large distributorship, purchased and operated convenience stores, and owned and operated transport trucks.

Jim's achievements extended beyond his family business. He received many marketing awards from major oil companies, including Shell, Phillips 66, Union 76, Amoco, and BP. In addition, Jim was heavily involved with and dedicated to the Oil Jobbers Association, now called the Wisconsin Fuel and Retailers Association. As a leader within this organization, Jim worked to advocate for the oil and retail industry in Wisconsin. He became the youngest chairman in 1988 and was instrumental in passing two key pieces of legislation that were essential for the oil industry's survival in Wisconsin. Jim's activities extended beyond Wisconsin. He went on to become the Wisconsin delegate to the Energy Marketers of America, representing Wisconsin petroleum marketers at the national level. He eventually became the Midwest delegate, a role which included testifying before Congress on behalf of all petroleum marketers in the US.

In 2006, his son Jon joined the business. Jim enjoyed 20 wonderful years with his son, watching the business expand into propane and other ventures, sealing Crawford Oil's third generation success. Jim talked with Jon every day and always enjoyed discussing business, even late into the evening.

Jim enjoyed 60 years of marriage with Kathryn. Aside from raising three children together, they enjoyed attending concerts at the Overture Center in Madison, travelling in Europe and North America, and exploring restaurants throughout Wisconsin. They spent the last three decades in their home at Saddle Ridge on Swan Lake. Jim and Kathryn spent many happy hours on the water kayaking together or taking their children and grandchildren out on the boat. Later in life, Jim and Kathryn fell in love with Palm Springs, California, spending several weeks there in the winters for over twenty years, planning their stays so they could attend the Indian Wells Open tennis tournament. His children often joined him there and nothing made Jim happier than having his grandchildren spend a week with him in the swimming pool. Jim and Kathryn also made regular trips to visit their daughter and granddaughter in England, where Jim was a supportive and enthusiastic presence at his granddaughter's ballet performances.

Jim was an amazing father and grandpa. He always fully supported his children in their chosen endeavors. From a very young age, he encouraged his children to develop their love of music, driving them to lessons and orchestra rehearsals. He fully encouraged his daughter Karin in her pursuit of an academic career, helping her move across country andeventually abroad. Likewise, he took his daughter Heather to summer music camps in Colorado and even drove her throughout the country for her auditions to enter graduate programs and become a professional violinist. Similarly, he fully supported his son Jon throughout his musical, educational, and professional journey. In addition to his children, Jim spent as much time as he could with his grandchildren. Whether traveling to England to spend time with Amelia or driving down to Deforest to spend time with Jakobi and Darla, Grandpa made his grandchildren a priority. As his youngest grandchildren like to say, he was Superman. When any of his children or grandchildren needed anything, he dropped whatever he was doing and went to help, providing assistance with unconditional love. His children and grandchildren will always be grateful for his support, for his wisdom, and for always being there.

Jim was also a loyal and supportive friend, remaining close to friends from school, college, and the community. He was an avid and skilled card player and was always happy to play a game of euchre or cribbage with family and friends, even during his final days. Jim also enjoyed baseball, walking from his school in Milwaukee to watch the Braves play and continuing to attend Milwaukee Brewer games every summer. He also coached little league teams and sponsored baseball and softball teams in Portage. Additionally, music and singing brought Jim much happiness. He sang in church and community choirs, as well as for weddings and funerals in the community. His children and grandchildren will remember the fun songs he taught them and the sound of his tenor voice harmonizing while singing in the car on family trips. In his final hours, Jim and his family joined together in singing the songs that had brought them all so much happiness and joy.

In addition to being a great husband, father, grandfather, and friend, Jim was incredibly kind, compassionate, and charitable in the community. He had always been active in his church congregations, having held various leadership roles, including president of the congregation and head of the board of education at St. John's Lutheran Church as well as serving on various boards and committees at Bethlehem Lutheran Church. He was an essential member of the choir, first at St. John's and then for the past few decades at Bethlehem Lutheran Church. Jim also served as a member of Rotary in Portage, having celebrated his 50th anniversary as a member in December 2025. He also served as Rotary Club president in 1982-1983 and won two Rotarian Paul Harris Awards. He always supported the local arts and many charities, especially CASA and River Haven Homeless Shelter, and delivered Meals-on-Wheels for many years. Jim possessed a remarkable humility in helping individuals. Just as he always did for his family, Jim would drop whatever he was doing to go help anyone in need without expecting anything in return.

Jim accomplished so much in a lifetime and leaves behind an amazing legacy. He inspired many around him and left a positive impact on the world. His warm smile, gentle nature, and incredible sense of humor were genuine. He will be missed by many.

Jim is survived by his wife Kathryn Crawford (Firehammer); his children Dr. Karin Crawford, Dr. Heather (Glenn Naftchi) Crawford, Jonathan (Tasha) Crawford; his grandchildren Amelia Everett, Jakobi Crawford, and Darla Crawford; his sister Debra (Don) Lee; his sister-in-law Cheryl Crawford; and many nieces, nephews, and dear friends.

He is preceded in death by his father Delbert Crawford, his mother Helen Crawford (Schnabel), his half-brother Daniel Crawford, his half-sister Donna Metcalf, and his brother Larry Crawford. The family would like to thank Pastor Jaime Benson and everyone from Agrace, especially Erin, Candace, and Derek, for the kind and compassionate care they provided Jim in his final days. The visitation and the funeral will be held at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Portage, Wisconsin on April 16th and 17th. The visitation will be from 4:00 pm-7:30 pm on Thursday the 16th and from 9:30 am-10:45 am on Friday the 17th. The funeral service will be at 11:00 am on the 17th followed by a luncheon.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers to please send donations to:

Canopy Center Columbia County CASA 2445 Darwin Road Suite 15 Madison, WI 53704

River Haven Homeless Shelter 303 E. Wisconsin St. Portage, WI 53901

Bethlehem Lutheran Church W8267 State Hwy 33 Trunk Portage, WI 53901