Raymond John Crawford Jr.

Raymond John Crawford, Jr., 94, of Princeton, Illinois passed away Monday, March 7, 2022 at Liberty Village, Princeton.

 He was born May 11, 1927 in West Frankfort, IL the son of Raymond John and Emma (Garzulis) Crawford, Sr.

 Raymond married Joyce M. Tyler on July 31, 1954 in Berkeley, Illinois. Joyce preceded him in death January 28, 2020.

 He is survived by two daughters: Sandra Hickerson of Omaha, Nebraska and Catherine Jean (Dan) Murray of Georgia; one son, Robert Raymond (Rose) Crawford of Princeton, Illinois; 11 grandchildren: Eric and Heather Hickerson, Tim, James, and Daniel Jones, Wesley, Ashley, and Samantha Crawford, Jaclyn (Thomas) Trujillo, Bradley (Francene) Crawford, and Amanda (Jason) Hasbrook; and 18 great-grandchildren.

 He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Joyce, two daughters: Lynn Dee Crawford Jones and Janet Sue Crawford, and one son David John Crawford.

 Raymond worked for Northern Illinois Gas Company for 34 years. There he started out digging ditches and worked his way up into management. From there he became Vice President of Operations for J.B. Rombach, Inc.   

 He was a member and past chairman of the Midwest GAs Association and American Gas Association. He was also a member, vice chairman, and past chairman of the International School of Hydrocarbon Measurement. He was on the American National Standards Institute B-109 Committee. Raymond was an advisor to the Gas Research Institute where he was on the "On Site Meter Testing" and "Automatic Meter Reading" committees.

 He wrote and presented  many papers relating to the gas industry. Raymond had papers and articles published in The Gas Digest, Gas Industry, Pipe Line Journal, and American Gas Association Journal.

He earned the Merit of Honor from the Gas Association, the Emeritus from the Midwest Gas Association, and the Joe Harper Award from Rockwell International. 

 Raymond also loved gardening and woodworking. He served in the United States Navy during World War II.

 Cremation rites have been accorded. Memorials may be directed to the Bureau County Senior Center in his memory. Online condolences may be sent to www.grant-johnsonfh.com.