James Crawforth

James Crawforth, 77, died May 11, 2011, in Flagstaff at The Peaks, under the care of Northland Hospice. He was born April 20th, 1934, in Boise, Idaho. His parents were Lealand and Evelyn Crawforth.

He graduated from the University of Idaho with a degree in electrical engineering, and a master's from the University of California Berkeley in computer science. He worked at the Naval Weapons Center (now Naval Air Warfare Center), doing instrumentation tests on military aircraft. He moved his family to Flagstaff in 1968 to work for the U.S. Geological Survey as a computer scientist and retired in 1994. He received numerous awards, including the Department of Interior Meritorious Service award in 1988 for recognition of his outstanding contribution in computer systems management and digital image processing technology to the planetary science programs of the Geological Survey.

He was a devoted family man, taking his family on many vacations starting from an early age through adulthood and then with the grandchildren as well. The family enjoyed many memorable backpacking trips in the Grand Canyon and other locations across the state. He especially enjoyed sharing his knowledge with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, which included lots of laughter while reading books and game playing.

Survivors are Jeanette, his wife of 56 years; Pamela Cheney (Dana) of Purdy, Mo., Cheryl Partin of Tempe, Ronald Crawforth (Pattie) of Ridgecrest, Calif., Brian Crawforth (Carolyn) of Mesa; brothers Deane, Delwin, David, Richard and Gary; numerous cousins; seven grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be at Federated Community Church, 400 W. Aspen Ave., on Monday, May 16, at 4 p.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be given to Second Chance Center for Animals or any charity of your choice.

Condolences may be sent directly to the family or through www.flagstaffmortuary.com.

Lozano's Flagstaff Mortuary is handling arrangements.