Christopher L. Crawford

Christopher L. Crawford Christopher Lee Crawford, 73, went home to be with the Lord on November 15, 2012. He succumbed to prostate cancer at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, after a seven-year battle. Chris was born in Chicago, Illinois on July 31, 1939 and lost both of his parents by the age of four. He was preceded in death by his beloved grandmother, Hilda Crawford, and beloved great-aunt Auda Frisk. He was raised in Piedmont, California but moved to Texas in 1959 to attend the University of Corpus Christi. He came to truly love Texas and always considered this his home. He also had a strong connection to Sweden and took great pride in his Swedish heritage. He considered it ironic that all his grandparents were from Sweden but his grandfather Crawford was from Texas.Chris was an avid sportsman and excelled in everything he put his hands to. This included tennis, baseball, basketball, bowling, fishing, and hunting. His greatest love was tennis. He was discovered by tennis great Frank Kovacs while playing basketball and was mentored by Pancho Segura. He began playing around the age of 15 and the next year he was the No. 1 Junior player in California. Chris played for Piedmont High School and is in their Hall of Fame. Next he attended Menlo College and is also in their Hall of Fame. Howard Butt, Jr., was instrumental in bringing him to the University of Corpus Christi to play tennis. Chris' teammate, the late Henry Parish, was player-coach at UCC and became a life-long friend. There is no way to list all his accomplishments but to name a few: He represented the US Junior Davis Cup in 1956 thru 1958; he won the Orange Bowl Boys 18's Singles against Butch Buchholz in 1957; he played for the US Davis Cup 1959 thru 1962. In 1959 he played a phenomenal match in Australia with Rod Laver, where he lost 14-16 in the 5th set. Chris scored the biggest upset at the 1961 Wimbledon when he defeated Nicola Pietrangeli of Italy, the No. 3 seed. Chris was recognized at every Davis Cup match he attended along with other former players. He was inducted into the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame in Waco, Texas in 2003. While attending the University of Corpus Christi he was the only collegiate player to defeat the late Chuck McKinley who was then ranked No. 1 in the US. He had other wins over Frank Froeling, Rafael Ozuna, Gardner Mulloy, Tut Bartzen, Dennis Ralston and Barry McKay to name a few. He played mixed-doubles with Carol Caldwell and Billie Jean King and had significant wins with Carol. He considered himself very privileged to have played tennis in both North and South America, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia, and to have graced every court surface, hard court, clay, and grass.In the early 1990's Chris donated many tennis rackets and his expertise in teaching tennis to street kids in the Chicago area. Arthur Ashe was a part of this effort and made mention that one of the toughest matches he had ever played was against Chris Crawford.Chris has instilled a love for tennis into the lives of hundreds and hundreds of children and adults. He has taught, been Head Pro, and been Director of Tennis at San Pedro Tennis Center (McFarlin), Corpus Christi Racquet Club, T-Bar-M, Padre Isles Country Club, Corpus Christi Athletic Club, Our Lady of the Hills, Schreiner College, and HEB Tennis Center in Kerrville, Texas. Chris was extremely loving and proud of his three daughters, Kim Crawford, Cindy Crawford-Rice, and Tammy Crawford, his grandsons Tyler Lee Crawford and Daniel Christopher Rice, his son-in-law Brad Rice, and the love of his life and best friend, Edna Crawford. He is also survived by his extended family Bobbie and Guy Powell, Jim Lackey, and Gilbert Gerstenberg of Center Point and many nieces and nephews, and countless friends and peers throughout the world.Chris was a humble and private man who was comfortable in his own skin. He knew he had a God-given talent and used it to the best of his ability. He loved his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, his family and friends. He will forever be loved and missed by those who were privileged to know him.A Celebration of Life Service will be held in Kerrville, Texas at Grimes Funeral Chapels on Saturday, December 1, 2012, at 1:30 pm. Service will be officiated by Chris' pastor and dear friend, Pastor Carrie Land of Harper. We would like to thank Dr. Anthony Tolcher, Dr. Drew Rasco, and all the staff at the START Center for Cancer Care in San Antonio, Texas for their valiant effort to give Chris the best quality of life and in their dedication to find a cure for cancer.Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society designated to Prostate Cancer research.The family invites you to send condolences at www.grimesfuneralchapels.com by selecting the 'Send Condolences' link.Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Grimes Funeral Chapels of Kerrville.