Karen Ann Crawford
May 20, 1945 – June 14, 2021
Karen Ann (Nowotney) Crawford was born May 20, 1945 in Beaver Falls, PA. She passed away on June 14, 2021 in Oklahoma City at the young age of 76. Karen fought an exceedingly rare and aggressive cancer for the past 13 years. A feat that is only explained as a miracle.
Karen was the proud daughter of Alfreda and Albert Nowotney. She was the loving wife of Kenneth Lee Crawford for 57 years. She owned the bragging rights to her three children: Denise, Michael, and Deborah. She was the doting grandmother to Stephen, Brian, John, Jack, and Alex. The little sister of Richard, Albert, and Don. She was a much-loved niece and aunt and a good friend to many others.
As a little girl, at the age of three, Karen’s family moved from Pennsylvania to Upland, CA. She loved going to the beach, the mountains, Lake Arrowhead, and Disneyland. As a teenager she was a majorette and marched in the Rose Parade one New Year’s Day. On a hot July 4th, while working a soda fountain of a local store, Ken came in for a cool drink, and the rest, as they say, is history. Two July 4ths later, in 1964, Ken and Karen married. Their children were all born in California but in 1972 they made a difficult decision to move to the Midwest. They landed in Overland Park, Kansas, which turned out to be the first stop in a 22-year run of moving between Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, with even a 2-year stay in Boston, MA. In 1994, Ken and Karen built their house in Oklahoma City. That is where she lived, with Ken, the rest of her life.
Family is what mattered most to Karen. Although she held a few jobs outside of the home (Clothworld Fabrics saleslady, Mail Carrier for the USPS in Boston, and Bank Safety Deposit Manager) her primary “job” was raising her family. This was no burden to her; this was her dream. She loved everything about being a mom and a wife and then eventually a grandmother. And there was no better mom or grandmother in the world. And, for Ken, she was the love of his life. To attempt to describe how loving, caring, selfless, positive, strong, and fun she was would only be a feeble attempt at best; as there is no way to adequately describe the pure love and joy she felt for and gave to her family.
She always kept in touch with family and friends through her many visits, phone calls, hand written cards, letters, and postcards and then eventually adding text messages with lots and lots of emojis (primarily hearts).
Karen always stayed active. She loved to bike ride, going to water aerobics classes, sewing, gardening, and taking walks. As a member of a family that loves Disney World, she loved going to Disney World; especially Epcot for the Flower and Garden Festival and the Food and Wine Festival. Of course, going with her children and grandchildren brought her so much joy; that truly was the “Happiest Place on Earth” for her.
A visitation for family and friends will be held on Monday, June 21, 2021, from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM at Matthews Funeral Home in Edmond, Oklahoma.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, at Matthews Funeral Home Chapel in Edmond, Oklahoma.
Guests are welcome to join the family for a small gathering after the service at the home of Ken and Karen at:
10525 Highview Drive
Oklahoma City, OK 73151
My beautiful first cousin, I will always regret that our families lived so far apart but I will always cherish our conversations. I so admired your bravery and tenacity in fighting this horrible disease. Not once did I hear you complain. There’s another angel around the throne tonight.
She worried about you.
A wonderful friend ❤️ ALWAYS Strong and Giving and LOVING…… we always shared about our kids and grandkids…….just the sweetest heart 💜 You will be so missed Karen….. May you Rest In Peace 🦋sending prayers 🙏 to Dr Ken Crawford and family💕. Dr Roy & Sandy
Thanks to you and dr Roy always.
I went into medicine to help people. Karen was a patient of mine several times. I don’t know that I helped HER all that much, but my life has indelibly benefited from hers. I never left her presence without feeling blessed and better understanding of how a challenging life should be met.
I pray I am not subjected to the same strength testing and acceptance that she was, but her example has at least given me clear battle plan.
RIP, you delightful lady.
You and Karen are one of a kind. Thanks for coming and making a dark day brighter.
Karen will be greatly missed in our water aerobics class. Everyone loved her. What a gracious, sweet, loving lady she was. We were all blessed to share life with her.