Obituaries

Richard Wayne “Dick” Crawford, 80, of Mayport, went home to be with his Lord and Savior early Wednesday morning, June 24, 2026, at Penn Highlands DuBois. Dick was born May 19, 1946, in Oak Ridge, a son of Darl Franklin Crawford and Ida Alice Naomi (Beer) Crawford. He was married October 22, 1976, to Patricia Ann “Pat” (Travis) Crawford who preceded him in death on October 1, 2013.

Dick graduated from Redbank Valley High School in 1964 and Indiana University of PA in 1968, having earned a liberal arts degree in Mathematics and then his teaching certificate.  Dick lettered 3 years on the Men’s Basketball Team. He was honored to be awarded the prestigious Regis (Peck) McKnight Award for IUP’s Outstanding Senior Athlete, the Ten Little Indians Award for Outstanding Athletic Achievement, and the Corrine Menke Scholarship Award for Athletic Achievement.

Dick played for the Indiana Athletic Club, a semi-professional basketball team, for over 10 years and was widely regarded as an outstanding athlete. He was inducted into the IUP Athletic Hall of Fame and the Armstrong County Sports Hall of Fame. Prior to his stroke in 2008, Dick walked the Mayport hill daily.

Dick was a teacher and coach, first at Slippery Rock High School and then at Dayton High School and West Shamokin High School.  Dick was the mastermind of the Calculus Open; a golf meet he was very proud to lead.  In 2004 he was awarded the Richard Steindel Award for Excellence in Mathematics Instruction.

Dick’s heartbeat for coaching. He was a coach for Boys’ Basketball at Slippery Rock High School for a year, and head coach for Boys’ Basketball for 17 years at Dayton, Girls’ Basketball at Redbank Valley for 2 years and Boys’ Golf at West Shamokin for several years.

Dick was a member of the First Church of God in New Bethlehem where he served on the Board of Trustees for many years. He enjoyed hunting, fishing and all things sports- playing, coaching and watching, as his health allowed. Dick loved telling stories from the good ole’ days, loading shells (and teaching others how to do so), fishing at Black Lake with friends and family, and watching Everybody Loves Raymond and NCIS. He was an avid Steelers fan.

Dick is survived by a son, Weston Allen Crawford and his wife, Karen, of New Bethlehem; a daughter, Jennifer Jean Crawford and her husband, Macland Ring, of Roseville; three granddaughters, Nicole West Crawford, Abigail Grace Crawford and Adeline Denae Crawford; numerous nieces and nephews and his faithful furry friend, Ruthie. He is also survived by a brother, Samuel “Sam” Crawford (Judi) of New Bethlehem, a brother-in-law, Elbert “Sonny” Shaffer, and a brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Michael and Cathy McNaughton of Rimersburg, PA.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Pat, and his parents, along with siblings Darl “Bud” Crawford (Patricia), Carolyn “Jean” Shaffer, and Cheryl Metz (Floyd). Visitation will be Sunday from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 PM at Alcorn’s Funeral Home in Hawthorn, PA. Dick’s Celebration of Life service will be held at 11 AM Monday at the First Church of God in New Bethlehem with former Pastor John Phillips officiating. (Visitation will be available for one hour prior to the service.) Interment will be in the Mt. Zion Cemetery, Mahoning Township, Armstrong County. Arrangements are by Alcorn Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (stjude.org) or First Church of God (418 Brian Lane, New Bethlehem, PA 16242).

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.alcornfuneralhome.com.