Obit – Mrs. Helen Crawford

A former Smith County Circuit Court Clerk, Mrs. Helen Crawford, died at 11 a.m. Tuesday morning November 15, 2022 at the age of 81 at the Lebanon Center for Rehabilitation and Healing on Castle Heights Avenue. Mrs. Crawford was suffering from congestive heart failure and was admitted to the center on October 19th of this year for care.

Bro. Ray Gilder, pastor of the Gordonsville First Baptist Church, officiated at the 3 p.m. Thursday afternoon November 17th funeral services from the Carthage Chapel of Sanderson Funeral Home. Burial followed in the Crawford family lot in the Garden of Everlasting Life at the Smith County Memorial Gardens.

Mrs. Crawford was the third of seven children born to the late Douglas Wilson Crawford who died at the age of 37 on February 16, 1955 and Cora Bell Smith Gibbs Hardcastle Comstock who died at the age of 79 on January 3, 2000.

Two siblings preceded Mrs. Crawford in death, Patty Sue Gibbs Huddleston who died November 28, 2007 at the age of 60, Clarence Odell “Bucky” Hardcastle Jr. who died December 2, 2015 at the age of 59. 

She attended Smith County High School and was a recipient of her General Education Degree.

On December 24, 1956 she was united in marriage to Gene Autry Crawford.

She was preceded in death by their twin sons, Gene and Johnnie Crawford who died at birth on July 5, 1959.

Mrs. Crawford served in the Circuit Court Clerk office for twenty four years. From August of 1978 until August of 1990 she served as the deputy clerk for her sister Carolyn Grisham and in August of 1990 she ran for the office and was elected to serve in the position of Circuit Court Clerk, the office she controlled until not seeking re-election in August of 2002.

As a child the family attended the Carthage United Methodist Church.

Surviving in addition to her husband Gene of almost sixty six years is their son, Doug Crawford and wife Fay, Angela Crawford all of the New Middleton Community; three sisters, Carolyn Grisham and husband Fred of the Rock City Community, Joan House and husband Kenneth of the Brush Creek Community, Justine Lewis of Carthage; brother, Pete Gibbs of Mount Juliet; six grandchildren, Cindy Thompson and husband Sam, Stacey Dias and husband Seth, Joey Crawford and wife Nicole, Jonathan Wells and wife Brooke, Jacqueline Crawford, Peyton Johnson and husband Brandon; thirteen great-grandchildren.

SANDERSON of CARTHAGE