Obituary for Margaret Louise Crawford

Margaret Louise Crawford

Margaret Crawford passed away peacefully on January 1, surrounded by family at her home in San Rafael. She was born to Denzil and Margaret Ferguson on October 29, 1919, in Terre Haute, Indiana. Her father was a doctor and county coroner for multiple terms, as was her brother, D.M. Ferguson Jr. Margaret also dearly loved her uncle, Cecil Ferguson, who pitched Major League Baseball in the early 1900s for the New York Giants and became a doctor after retiring from baseball.
In her grade school years, Margaret was taught by noted educator, lecturer, author and suffragette, Bertha Pratt King. Margaret also was fond of Miss King’s then fiancé, Max Ehrmann, who lived above Margaret’s father’s medical office for several years and later became Miss King’s husband. Mr. Ehrmann wrote the famous poem, “Desiderata,” among other noted works.
Margaret graduated from the University of Missouri, then received a Masters’ degree from the University of Chicago before teaching social work at Indiana State Teachers’ College in 1947-’48. Margaret married her high school classmate and college sweetheart, Ben Crawford, and they raised three children. She served on several public non-profit boards in Indiana.
Margaret and Ben moved to Sarasota, Fla. in the ’80s and she served as President of the local P.E.O chapter during their 20 years there. After Ben passed away, she moved to San Rafael for the final decade of her life and remained very involved in the lives of her children and six grandchildren. Margaret attended the Christ Presbyterian Church in San Rafael and had many friends there.
Margaret was a voracious reader, skilled gardener, great cook, avid golfer and very good friend to many in each of the locations in which she lived. She saw the best in others and her positive countenance brought out the best in others. Her zest for life was infectious.
Preceded in death by her beloved husband, Margaret is survived by: her son, Gregg, and his wife, Katherine, and their two children, Benjamin and Whitney; her son, Ben, and his wife, Marie, and their two children, Jackson and Christian; and her daughter, Julie, and her husband, Dr. Rick Schwach, and their children, Kelsey and Kevin. Margaret intensely loved all of her family and her many close friends, including her wonderful care givers, Jou Ann Caspie and Czarina Ganace.
A celebration of the life of Margaret Crawford will take place at 10:30am on Saturday, January 23 at the Christ Presbyterian Church in San Rafael, followed by a luncheon at the Marin Country Club. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Christ Presbyterian Church, 620 Del Ganado Road, San Rafael, 94903.

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