Roy Crawford Jr.

Roy D. Crawford Jr., age 65, passed away quietly on Sat., Feb. 20, 2016, after a brief illness. His wife Cathy and his faithful dog Sammy were at his bedside when he crossed over into his Savior's arms. This gentle man of quiet integrity was an inspiration to all who knew him. The oldest child of Roy and Dorothy Crawford, Roy Jr. knew his share of hardships and had battled a bone condition his whole life, resulting in amputation of his left leg at the age of 9. Roy was a graduate of Maryville High School. He attended Hiwassee College, then received his degree from the University of Tennessee. Roy began working for the county in 1975 as Purchasing Agent, then became County Clerk in 1989. He had a true servant's heart for the public and implemented several services to help expedite people's license tag renewal. Roy negotiated space at Foothills Mall and also with the Blount County Chamber of Commerce for a drive-thru renewal service, which later moved to unused bank space by the Blount County Public Library. Roy enjoyed officiating weddings and always joked he should write a book about some of the more unusual ones he performed. Roy was a chef par excellence and greatly enjoyed finding new recipes to try. His nickname with close friends was "Chef Roy ar Dee." Roy also had a lifelong love of cars in general and of NASCAR. He was also a history buff. He was an active member at Monte Vista Baptist Church, serving as a deacon and as the coordinator of the overhead visual computer projector with the audio-visual team. He was preceded in death by his sister Serena Crawford and her spouse Greg Robertson; brother-in-law Steven Henderson, special friend Richard Williams Jr. He is survived by wife of 22 years Catherine Henderson Crawford, parents Dorothy and Roy Crawford Sr., sister Mary Crawford (Calvin Mew), stepson Matthew Jamison ( Bronwyn and children Valerius, Xyphos and Valkyrie); nephew Alex (Lindsay) Robertson, niece Lizzy Robertson (Dan Fowler), mother -in-law Minerva Henderson, brothers-in-law Joe (Tina) Henderson and Daniel (Becky) Henderson and their son Ethan, and many special friends. A celebration of his life will be held at Monte Vista Baptist Church on Thursday. Receiving of friends will be from 4 to 6 p.m., with service at 6 p.m., with a celebration party afterwards. Please bring an idea of your favorite "Roy Memory" with you. Paper will be provided for you to write your ideas for the family to keep. He requests no one wear black and no long faces. The family also requests no flowers. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, Monte Vista Haiti Mission Project, or to the charity of your choice.