Maxine Crawford

Our beloved mother, grandmother and friend, Glenda Maxine Crawford, 99, passed from this world on January 2, 2021, at her home in Norman, Oklahoma. 

Maxine was born on October 5, 1921, in Aline, Oklahoma, to the late Ray and Fay Elkins.  At age 5, she moved with her family to the Elkins farm and attended schools in Enid.  She attended Sunny Slopes Grade School and she graduated from Enid High School.  It was during her high school junior year she met her one true love, Donald Theodore Crawford.  They married on July 6, 1941, and were blessed to have four children and celebrate 60 years of marriage.  They made wonderful memories together with their families and friends.  Maxine and Ted were charter members of University Christian Church and both were actively involved.  Maxine spent time working outside of the home at local dental offices and at Professional Boutique and Coiffures.  She found time to enjoy her children, make her famous cookies, grow beautiful hydrangeas and paint many of the beautiful paintings displayed in her home. She was also an excellent seamstress, making clothes for her children and grandchildren. She enjoyed traveling with her husband throughout the United States.

Maxine is survived by her daughter, Pat Feuerborn Cain and her husband Steve of Norman; son, David Crawford and his wife Thea of Portland, Oregon; grandchildren, Greg Feuerborn, Kevin Feuerborn, Graham Crawford and wife Flora, and Ashlynn Crawford; great grandson, Nolan Crawford; and nephew Calvin and wife Emma Lee Henneke.

Maxine’s kindness, care for others, her generosity and her love will be missed by many.  Now she is experiencing her reward with those preceding her in death, her husband, Ted Crawford; sister, LaVon Henneke; son, Donald Crawford; daughter, Sandra Crawford; and grandson, Nolan Crawford.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to your church, the American Cancer Society, the Parkinson Foundation or your desired organization. 

Memories...Written by Maxine

On October, 5, 1921 I came into the world in Aline, Oklahoma.  My parents were Cecil Ray Elkins and Ethel Fae Elkins (Mercer).  I had a sister 27 months older.  Her name was Cleata LaVon and I was named Glenda Maxine.  We lived on a farm east of Aline that my Grandpa John Will Elkins owned.  Grandma’s name was Minnie Dallas (Dayls).  I always say she was the perfect Grandmother.

My Dad worked hard!  Farming was different then and he usually had another job on the side.  Mother always had a garden and did a lot of canning.  My Dad farmed the farm we lived on in Aline, and by noon it was too hot for the mules.  So, he would walk, or run most of the time, into Aline to help Grandpa in the blacksmith shop.  It was probably 3 to 4 miles into town. I remember going to the neighbors in a spring wagon.  Times were tough!

Things were better after we moved to Enid, even though we had a wheat failure the first year and that was tough, but I was too young to be concerned.  I was 5 years old when we moved to that farm 5 miles west of Enid, Oklahoma. 

For vacation LaVon and I always spent 2 weeks in the summer in Aline, Oklahoma and in Carmen, Oklahoma visiting our Grandparents, and Aunt Olive and Uncle Glen.   Grandma Elkins would take us into town, we would walk.  Grandma never drove a car.  She would take us to the Drug Store and buy us Strawberry Ice Cream Sodas.  That was our first introduction to sodas and what a treat!  If we went for a few groceries she would buy us Cracker Jacks.  Then we would walk home.  We would spend a few days at Uncle Glen and Aunt Olive’s house and then Uncle Glen would take us to Carmen to Grandmother Mercer and Great Grandpa Ratledge.  She would take us to town, we walked. Then our vacation was over and the folks would come to get us.  I had a wonderful childhood.  The “country” kids all kind of hung together and we had lots of parties, played games, had hay rack rides and women’s roasts.

First, I want to tell you about growing up on the farm after we moved to Enid.  It was good.  We went into town every Saturday and bought groceries, etc.  We always had a garden and potato patch.  I think my mother enjoyed her gardens.  She canned and made jellies.  It was all good stuff.  When we were in grade school at Sunny Slope we had school programs, pie suppers, and cakewalks.  We went to church at University Place Christian Church.  Mother would tie a nickel in the corner of a hankie for our offering.  They were wonderful growing up years. 

LaVon and I went to Sunny Slope School in Imo. The school only went through the 8th grade.  I went to high school at Enid High.  By that time we had moved a mile north and a little closer to town, the folks bought the farm North of the elevators in Imo.  It was just an elevator then.  He later bought the farm across the road to the west, which is now mine.  Dad was a home builder, as was my Grandpa Elkins.  Grandpa also, at one time owned the hardware store and blacksmith shop in Aline.

In high school I met Ted my junior year.  It was his senior year.  We were in Bookkeeping class together.  After I graduated the next year we met again that summer, by accident, and started dating.  We went together for a year and married on July 6, 1941 in Hunter, Oklahoma (a few miles northwest of Enid).  Johnnie and Wilma Rowe were married with us.  We were best of friends long afterwards.

I lived in town with LaVon and Otto my last two years of High School.  Then went to Beauty School where I met Verna.  I lived with them, then went to live a Ted’s Father’s house after we married.  They were always real good to me.  Married life was good.  Ups and Downs, but good.  Ted was a great provider, kind, and generous husband.

Our first home was on West Randolph in Enid. We then moved to Drummond, Oklahoma for a while and from there in 1943 we went to Lawton, Oklahoma so Ted could work at Fort Sill in Civil Service.  LaVon and Otto lived with Ted and me for a while before we both found small houses in Walters, Oklahoma.  Then the War!  Ted enlisted in 1943 in the Navy CBs.  I was about 4 months pregnant with Donald Ray.

Ted went to Williamsburg, Virginia for military training.  He was at Camp Perry in the Navy.  I went to see him and Wilma went with me.  We stayed 12 days and Ted came home with me on leave.  He was then sent to Gulfport, Mississippi, stayed 3 days and was shipped to Port Humen, California.  Sooo, I went there and spent 2 weeks before he was shipped to Maui, Hawaii.  I stayed with my folks and got ready for another baby.  Patricia Ann. 

We sent word to Ted in Hawaii about our new baby.  It took a while for him to get the message.  I went back to my parents and stayed till Pat was 2 months old.  At that time LaVon had gone to California to be with Otto (Before he shipped out).  So I moved into her house with Pat. Otto shipped out and LaVon returned home.  We lived together with her boys Calvin and Lanny until the war was over, and Ted and Otto came home.  First we stayed in his folk’s house and then moved to Lawton where his job was waiting for him after returning from the War.  Pat was a year old on January 9th 1946 and he got home in late November of that year.  So he got to spend Christmas with us. (He missed 2 years of spending Christmas at home.)  Life was good again.  The war was over and troops were home.  It was a wonderful time. 

We got a chance to go back to Enid when Ted got his job at Vance Air Force Base working civil service.  It was great having family together again.  We had family around a lot, we cooked out and would have all of them out and always included Verna and Gomer Davis.  They became part of our family.  Then in 1947 we had a baby girl, which was born dead (Sandra Lynn).  Our baby boy that was born in 1944 that lived for 4 days was named Donald Ray, after Ted and my Dad.  Those were sad times. 

In 1953 God sent us another baby, David Elkins.  He made up for all the bad times.  Pat and David were easy to raise, happy and healthy.  When David was 2 weeks old, Ted took ill one Sunday morning, but recovered and worked hard all his working years.  I think that could have been the beginning of his heart problems.  That was a scary time.  Pat was in 3rd grade.

We always celebrated Birthdays with big dinners.  David had just finished the 1st grade when our job took us to Wichita Falls, Texas.  We lived there 6 months and then moved to Yukon, Oklahoma.  We liked it much better but Ted took a big pay cut.  I don’t think any of us like Texas.

After 6 months in Yukon we moved to Norman, Oklahoma and Ted worked at Smally Armory for a short time in Norman, then moved to the Armory in Oklahoma City (Krouse Army Reserve Center) where he finished his career as a Maintenance Supervisor for 20 years Retiring in 1980.  We traveled after his retirement.  I have photo books showing our different trips.  What a great time.