Mary Evelyn Strickland Crawford

Mary Evelyn Strickland Crawford, 89, passed away on Sunday, October 12, 2014, in Duluth, Georgia, from pancreatic cancer. She was a resident of Sautee Nacoochee, Georgia, and former resident of Chamblee and Savannah, Georgia.

She was born August 27, 1925, to the late William R. (Billy) and Mary Jane (Mamie) Strickland, at their farm in Nahunta, Georgia. The youngest girl in a family of 16 children, she survived diphtheria, having her arm mashed in a wringer washing machine, and being run over by a car after getting off a school bus. Her school bus accident was the catalyst for passing the first school bus safety laws in Georgia.

After graduating from Nahunta High School, Mary Evelyn attended Berry College in Rome, Georgia. She graduated in June 1947 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. She married Hal Crawford on August 9, 1950, in Savannah, Georgia. Their daughter Pamela was born in 1955.

She had a long, fulfilling career as a research biologist, working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, then the Tropical Disease Division of the Center for Disease Control. Mosquito control was one of her focus areas. In 1980, she retired at age 55, so she and Hal could spend more time traveling.

Over the years, they logged hundreds of thousands of miles. They began with a tent, then graduated to a popup camper trailer, and ultimately a motor home, as well as traveling by air, train, and cruise ships. They traveled all over the world, but their favorite trip was a train trip across the Canadian Rockies.

Mary Evelyn will be remembered as a smart, strong-willed woman with a dry sense of humor. She especially loved family gatherings.

She is preceded in death by her parents, three sisters, four brothers, five half-brothers and three half-sisters. She is survived by her loving husband of 64 years, Hal Crawford, of Sautee Nacoochee, Georgia, her daughter Pamela (Jim) Holman of Duluth, Georgia, one sister-in-law, Maude Strickland of Waycross, Georgia, and numerous nieces and nephews.

A visitation is planned for Wednesday, October 15, 2014, 6:00 to 8:00 PM, at the Whitfield Funeral Home, South Chapel, 1370 Industrial Boulevard, Baldwin, Georgia. A graveside service will be conducted on Thursday, October 16, 2014 at 3:00 PM, at Forest Lawn Memory Gardens (in the Garden of Gethsemane), 315 Greenwich Road, Savannah, Georgia 31404.

Memorial donations may be made to Peachtree Christian Hospice, 3430 Duluth Park Lane, Duluth, GA 30096, www.peachtreechristianhospice.com/. Condolences may be sent to Hal Crawford, The Oaks at Scenic View Assisted Living, Unit 309A, 209 Peach Orchard Road, Baldwin, GA 30511. Arrangements are in the care of the Whitfield Funeral Homes, 1370 Industrial Boulevard, Baldwin, Georgia, www.whitfieldfuneralhomes.com.