Mary Jo Crawford
August 17, 1943 – September 16, 2022
On Friday, September 16, 2022, Mary Jo Crawford passed from this life to her eternal reward. Mary Jo was born on August 17, 1943, the third of four children, to R.J. and Oleta Roach in Buda, Texas, where she grew up and attended school. Bing a proud Texan and loving the Texas Hill Country, she never moved far from home, living for a while in Niederwald, Lockhart, Freeport, and finally settling in San Marcos for the last 39 years.
She worked several jobs early on, including Ross, Patton and Tilton Law Firm, Adams Extract, Wuest’s Grocery, and cutting hair for family and friends in her home. Her passion, however, was doing genealogical research for the Crawford Family Historical Museum. And she was very good at it, being a stickler for only hard data and factually accurate records. It was commented that she knew more names of dead people than those of the living. She had a knack for meticulous detail in everything she did. She also had what she considered the great blessing of working side by side with her dearly loved husband Hulon Don Crawford as they, together, did research, ran the museum and traveled the nation searching archives, cemeteries, and libraries for answers to genealogical mysteries.
Mary Jo was also an excellent cook and many of her children and grandchildren’s favorite memories are of her making their favorite dishes when they would come to visit. She wasn’t all work and no play though. She also loved bowling, dancing, camping, endless domino games, trying to make all her grandkids’ birthday parties, and helping to organize family reunions for her and Don’s families. One of her favorite pastimes these last few years was watching Country’s Family Reunion and reminiscing about the “Good Ole Days.”
Mary Jo dearly loved her husband, children and grandchildren, as well as all her family and dear friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Betty Brown and brother Jim Roach. She is survived by her husband Hulon Don Crawford, her sister Phyllis Patterson and husband Eric, son Curtis Knetsch and girlfriend Mary Anne Castles, daughter Lavonne Green and husband Mark, son Gary Knetsch and wife Dee Anne, daughter Dana Jones and husband Barry, daughter Christi Ellard and husband Robert, son Hulon Don Crawford II, son of Mark Crawford and wife Kaci, 15 grandchildren, many great grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews who loved her and by whom she will be greatly missed.
Visitation will be on Wednesday, September 21 from 4 to 8 p.m. at Thomason Funeral in San Marcos. A Celebration of Live Service will be held Thursday, September 22 at 10 a.m. at the funeral home. Pastor Mark Green officiating. Interment will take place at San Marcos City Cemetery.
Pallbearers are Brandon Manis, Dustin Knetsch, Blake Manis, Clayton Knetsch, Jake Moeller, Jerod Mills, Adam Warden, and Jason Patterson.
Arrangements are under the direction of Thomason Funeral Home. For more information and to sign the online registry, please visit thomasonfuneralhome.com.
