Walter Joshua Crawford, Jr. was born November 10, 1937, in Beaumont, the son of Mary Edna McKallip Crawford and Walter J. Crawford, Sr. He was a third generation Beaumonter, a member of the Sons of the Republic of Texas, and the great-great-great-grandson of Susanna Dickenson, the only survivor of the Alamo.
Walter attended Dick Dowling Elementary School. He continued his high school education at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin, where he served as president of the student body and graduated in 1956. He graduated from the University of the South at Sewanee, Tennessee in 1960, followed by a year of graduate school at Tulane University. He graduated from Southern Methodist University Law School in 1964.
On July 18, 1964, Walter married Suzanne Barbee of Abilene, Texas, and then returned to Beaumont to practice law in the office of James D. McNicholas.
In 1970, Walter joined the firm of Wells, Peyton, Duncan, Beard, Greenberg, Hunt and Crawford, where he served as managing partner. He specialized in Maritime law and products liability. In 1996, he formed the firm of Crawford and Olsen. Walter retired from practice of law in 2004 to devote his time to family and business interests. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Texas Center for Legal Ethics and Professionalism Award by the Jefferson County Bar Association, an award recognizing the professional qualities of “integrity, personal rectitude, civility, fair dealing and probity.”
He had an early passion for classical music and later enjoyed ocean sailing, marathoning, hunting and competitive sporting clays. He also had an innate interest of philosophy. He was devoted to both family and friends.
Walter is survived by his wife of forty-seven years, Suzanne Crawford of Beaumont; daughter, Louise Vaughan Crawford of Houston; two sons, Walter Joshua Crawford III of Beaumont and Benjamin McKallip Crawford of Denver, Colorado; and two sisters, Mary Wolff and Alice Thomas, both of Houston.
A gathering of family and friends will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, February 11, 2012, in the Cloister at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 680 Calder Avenue, Beaumont, with his funeral service immediately following at 11:00 a.m. His graveside service will be 2:00 p.m., Saturday, at Glenwood Cemetery, 2525 Washington Avenue, in Houston, under the direction of Broussard’s, 2000 McFaddin Avenue, Beaumont.
Pallbearers include Bob Birdwell, Martin Edwards, Larry Germer, Linn Heartfield, Tanner Hunt, Jim Mehaffy, Hubert Oxford III and Fritz Seewald.
The family would particularly like to thank Walter’s devoted caregivers, Alice Joubert and Edna Morris, and Odyssey Hospice.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Symphony of Southeast Texas, 4345 Phelan Boulevard, Beaumont, Texas 77707; St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 680 Calder Avenue, Beaumont, Texas 77702; or to a charity of one’s choice.
