Charles Lamar Crawley, Jr.

Mr. Charles Lamar Crawley, Jr., passed away peacefully on May 23, 2025, age 99. He was born in Atlanta, March 31, 1926. Soon after, the family returned to Milner, GA, home of four generations before him. The family moved back to Atlanta in 1937. Charles played cornet in the Tech High band and was asked to skip school on multiple occasions to play taps at funerals for Spanish-American War veterans. In 1942, he graduated and at 16, he was old enough to join the Georgia State Guard. He served as a Morse code radio operator having learned Morse code in high school. His unit was responsible for patrolling the islands off the Georgia coast. Their story is featured in the WWII Home Front Museum on St. Simons Island, and it includes a life-size wall photo of him. In 1943, he joined the Navy, and was an Air (Tower) Controlman 1st Class, serving at North Island Naval Base off San Diego until discharged in May, 1946. The airfield was a major base for Pacific operations during WWII.

In junior high, he met Sue Meaders. Years later, they married in Atlanta on December 21, 1947. They purchased land south of Atlanta where Charles built the family home, doing most of the work by himself. They lived there 50 years and raised three children. In 1949, he was called up from Navy reserves to active duty, and he served the Philippines during the Korean War as an Air Traffic Controller until 1952. He began his career with Southern Bell Telephone Company as a cable splicer in 1946. By the time he retired in 1978, he was the phone company's Regional Coordinator for Federal Aviation Administration airports in seven states.

Charles was blessed with an analytical mind and a generous heart. He often found ways to make improvements for systems, or people, especially children. A gentleman and a born leader, Charles was generous with his time and talent. He served in many responsible leadership roles for his churches, First United Methodist of College Park and later Kennesaw Methodist. He was a member of Gideons International, and was Lt. Governor of Kiwanis Clubs in the South Atlanta district. After supporting their three children through college graduations, Charles and Sue often served as short-term, emergency foster parents, in time, totaling more than 50 children. That experience caused Charles to lead a project in which Clayton County purchased a house and hired staff to provide emergency care for children.

In addition to his full-time phone company job, he served as the Chairman of the Clayton County Water Authority from 1964 to 1977. Tasked with creating a plan for county-wide fire protection, he devoted 18 months of his spare time to the funding and building of 10 fire stations, now the Clayton County Fire and Emergency Services. When the last station in his plan was completed in 1988, Fire Station #10 was dedicated in his honor during a formal ceremony. In another major project, he recognized the need for a pension plan for fire fighters, but took it a step further to see the creation of the first pension plan for all full-time Clayton County employees.

Charles was preceded in death by his parents, Charles "Lamar" Crawley, Sr. and Alma "Ruby" (Duke) Crawley; sisters, Ruby "Frances" (Crawley) Smallwood, Margaret "Evelyn" (Crawley) Glover, and Dorthy "Jeanette" Crawley; brother William "Hugh" Crawley; cousin "Patsy" Ruth (Crawley) Morgan; nephews, Hoyt Jackson "Buddy" Smallwood, Jr., James D. "Jim" Glover; and niece Kathleen Kay "Kathy" Crawley. He was sadly preceded by his loving and devoted wife of seventy-one years, Martha "Sue" (Meaders) Crawley. Surviving children are Linda (Crawley) Dean, Charles Lamar (Lee) Crawley, III, and Anita (Crawley) Entrekin. Also surviving are granddaughters Lauren Dean and Marci (Crawley) Bowler and husband "Nick"; two great-grandchildren; Finley and Thatcher; nieces and nephews.

A graveside memorial service will be held at the Milner Baptist Church Cemetery on June 7th, at 11:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, donations to Murphy-Harpst Children's Center or Kennesaw Methodist Church are suggested.

When a kinsman was told of Charles's death. He said, "He will be sorely missed by everyone. In my long life, I can think of no better man..."