Martha Crawford

Martha Evelyn Crawford passed away peacefully at the age of 94 on May 22, 2011. Martha “Marty” was a firecracker who lived her life with vigor, determination and joy. She had great creativity and celebrated the beauty of nature and people through painting and teaching, two of her great passions and talents. Marty was a “go-getter” who possessed a “can-do” attitude and unmatched inner drive. Martha was born to Worthy Fleener and Maude Ethel (Steele) Todd in a log cabin in New Ross, Indiana, on July 24 1916. The third youngest of six siblings, she graduated from Fair Oaks High School and derived much of her remarkable energy, strength and zest for life from the lessons she learned growing up on a farm. She started painting at age 7 with water colors. Martha’s teachers recognized her talent and encouraged her to continue developing her artistic skills. Martha was awarded two college scholarships, graduated from what is now Indiana State Teacher’s College with a major in education, and taught elementary school in Indiana for many years. She married Jennings A. Crawford in 1939 and they moved to Chicago to raise their two children, Peggy Sue and David, who went on pursue medical and veterinary degrees, respectively. Jennings preceded Martha in death in 1980, after which she continued to reside in Illinois but traveled frequently to San Francisco where her children had relocated. She made hand-sewn Halloween costumes every year for her grandchildren, cooked elaborate Thanksgiving dinners, and baked dozens of her famous chocolate chip cookies. She eventually moved to San Francisco in 2003 to be closer to her family. Martha’s artistic work, which extended beyond water colors to include oil painting, china painting, sculpture, needlepoint, macramé and designing and making jewelry and clothing, resulted in many awards and continued without pause until her death. She loved painting landscapes in particular, and she loved Halloween, Thanksgiving, the 4th of July and almost everything American. Her award-winning Halloween outfits for the last four years were the Statue of Liberty, Abraham Lincoln, Uncle Sam and Betsy Ross. Martha is survived by her loving children, Peggy Sue Crawford and David Jennings Crawford, her son-in-law, Bruce F. Scharschmidt, her two grandchildren, Tiffany C. Scharschmidt and Brent C. Scharschmidt, a large and loving family in and around Rensselaer, Indiana and a San Francisco Bay Area fan club with members too numerous to mention.

Martha Crawford

July 24, 1916 - May 22, 2011