Dr. Kenneth Luther Crawford, 93, of Vero Beach and Sebastian, passed away at Sebastian River Medical Center on March 20, 2016.
He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Mary Jane Putnam Crawford; his son Dr. Joseph P. Crawford, of Vero Beach; his daughter Dr. Paula L. Crawford, of San Antonio, Texas; his daughter-in-law Dr. Cynthia S. Crawford, of Vero Beach; and his two grandchildren Kevin Putnam and Katherine Marie Crawford, both of Columbus, Ohio.
Crawford was born in Rushville, Ohio, on Nov. 13, 1922. He was educated in a one-room schoolhouse, and was the first in his family to progress beyond a fifth-grade education.
Excelling as an athlete, he received a football scholarship to Ohio Northern University. He won varsity letters in football as a freshman and sophomore, and never lost a high school or collegiate wrestling match. He graduated in 1946 after serving in combat in North Africa, Italy, France, and Germany as a member of the Army Airborne.
After being honorably discharged, he returned to his beloved Ohio to graduate from Ohio Northern with his bachelor’s degree, and then entered veterinary school at The Ohio State University. There, he met Mary Jane Putnam who had just received her registered nursing degree from OSU and was matriculated as one of the first nurse anesthetist students. They married in 1946 and the “Dolly of Dillonvale” remained the love of his life for the next 69 years.
They both graduated in 1950 and moved to Baraboo, Wis., and established private practices in large and small animal veterinary medicine as well as nurse anesthesia. Dr. Crawford kept quite busy starting a family, whilst being Shriner and member of the Masonic Lodge and Methodist Men. He helped found, organize, staff, and finance the Circus World Museum, including the rehabilitation of world famous Circus wagons.
In 1962, at the age of 40, he recognized his desire for additional education. He uprooted the family and graduated from the University of North Carolina with a Master’s degree in public health, specializing in diseases that were transmissible from animals to humans.
In 1963, he was named the Chief of the Division of Veterinary Medicine for the State of Maryland. Over the next 21 years he gained international recognition for conceiving, developing, and gaining legislative approval for innovative programs such as public access for companion pets and pet facilitation therapy. He developed and implemented low-cost animal vaccination programs. He gained additional recognition as an expert in the humane, non-lethal disbursement of nuisance animals. Additionally, as the national chairman of the Rabies Compendium Committee, he was responsible for developing regulations, helping pass legislation, and developing vaccine distribution systems to help control the epidemic of rabies in animals in the United States. For these efforts, he was honored with The American Veterinary Medical Association Public Service Award in 1985.
In 1986, he retired to Vero Beach and Sebastian, where he was a faithful member of the First United Methodist Church.
Crawford will always be cherished as a devout Christian and patriot who was extremely proud of his family and his country. He always asked for the best efforts of himself and his family, who he supported, loved, and encouraged tirelessly. He never completed a conversation with his family without letting them know that he loved them and asking, “What can I do for you?”
He set the bar very high, and left impossibly big shoes to fill. Our hope is to make him proud, and continue his legacy of hard work and fierce love of family.
A service will be held at the First United Methodist Church of Vero Beach on Tuesday, March 29, 2016 at 5:30 p.m., with a reception to follow.
Flowers can be sent to the First United Methodist Church at 1750 20th St., Vero Beach, FL 32960.
