Johanna Ruth "Johey" Crawford

1955 - 2021

Johanna "Johey" Ruth Crawford

Johanna "Johey" Ruth Crawford was born to Carol (Blanchard, Yeager) and Richard (Dick) Crawford at Parkview Hospital in Toledo, Ohio, rightly on the summer solstice of June 21,1955; a universal cosmic date that personifies the triumph of hope amid darkness. A victim of gun violence, Johey was brutally murdered in her home December 16, 2021 where she had spent the evening catching up with close friends by phone, finalizing holiday plans with family, tucking her custodial grandchild safely into bed, and finishing the last of her baking for a holiday party at her grandchild's school the next day.

Early in life, Johey developed a strong self-interest that never wained from helping others, regardless of many traumatic upheavals throughout her childhood and adult years. Johey's compassion and belief in walking the walk of the Good Samaritan, guided her throughout her shortened life, and even through her last moments as a mortal on this earth.

Boundless creativity, along with many innate and developed talents, helped shape Johey's varied interests and passions. Johey started playing flute in elementary school, performing in both school recitals and for her church. Johey's love of music grew as she joined her church choir, and that love expanded even further during high school where she excelled at playing both flute and piccolo. Johey's mother especially loved to hear her play and was known to say, "Johey could make a piece of metal sound like a bird singing". Her sister Jenny always thought it was so cool that Johey could keep playing while she marched on the football field and in parades as a proud member of the Bedford High School marching band, noting that Johey believed, everyone one of us should be an instrument of change tasked with making a difference during our limited time on earth. As a teen, Johey first demonstrated her passion for social advocacy by leading a sit-in at her school. When her brother Rick was asked if he remembered Johey organizing a school sit-in, he laughingly responded, "which one?". Rick shared that at that time, the school dress code required female students to wear skirts or dresses, and forbid them from wearing pants. Rick further explained that it was winter and Johey wasn't having it. Johey started talking to friends and rallying schoolmates and before long a school sit in was in progress. Rick smiled as he reflected on this sister Johey's steadfast determination and proudly shared that the dress code was in fact revised because of Johey's actions.

Johey had a lifelong love of theater, taking her granddaughter and niece just weeks ago to see the The Hip Hop Nutcracker at the Detroit Opera House, and taking her daughter Hayley to experience one of Johey's favorite musicals, Rent. Johey's early love of theater began in high school, captivated while working behind the scenes with costumes, makeup and set design, eventually earning the role of stage manager. Excited to share her love for the arts, Johey regularly incorporated her siblings into her high school stage crew through set building, running lights and sounds, even getting her little brother Brian cast in his first on stage performance. Johey's passion for shared life experiences so strongly influenced her siblings that several went into future careers in the building trades, and her brother Brian worked stage crew and lights in high school and beyond. Johey's active participation in theater continued with later work at the Toledo Rep and by establishing the Awesome Christian Ensemble (A.C.E.) theater group while a then parishioner at Salem Lutheran Church where she volunteered as theater director, script writer, costume designer and seamstress.

Johey's passions also consist of a profound love for reading. Johey's dad proudly remembers applying for his first library card through Johey's encouragement during her many years of work at the main branch of the Toledo Lucas County Library. Johey's many causes have always kept her busy including several in the 1980s by serving as the Toledo Chapter President of the National Organization for Women (NOW), community organizing for better housing aid in Toledo's poorest districts, and by running a non-partisan voter registration campaign for Project Vote where she met and persuasively convinced her now husband, Knute Huber, then Director of The Helping Hands of St. Louis food program, to establish his site for voter registration to help empower his clients and to give the unheard a voice as viable constituents within their community. Married on February 8, 1986, Johey and Knute worked together to not only change the world for better, but to lead by example by modeling the importance of community activism to their blended family that would eventually include seven children, plus a Village of kindred family.

Anyone who knows Johey well, also knows that she was never afraid to speak her mind and challenge the status quo. A fervent believer in the motto of the late civil rights activist and United States congressman, John Lewis, Johey never backed down from stirring up "good trouble". Her daughter Nicole gifted Johey these immortal words as a tattoo that Johey wore with pride. Johey is known by many for her tendentious spirit, never afraid to go toe-to-toe with Mayors and other elected officials, doctors, CEOs and the like when confronting stakeholders who are more "devoted to "order" than to justice." Another talent of Johey's was her ability to somehow squeeze extra hours into every day she lived as she tried diligently to balance the ever tipping scales of work and life. In her 40's when Johey decided to pursue her R.N. degree she was working full-time and running a household with five children. As all mere mortals, Johey was self-admittedly not a saint and also known to lose her cool. Yet Johey's devoted belief in the power and gift of redemption, not only for herself but for the other trauma induced patients, clients, and community members she fought for everyday, gave her the wisdom to start the slow healing process of self-reflection in attempt to make peace with hurt loved ones and with self regrets made along her life journey. In the words of the also uncompromising social advocate Dolly Parton, "redemption comes in many shapes with many kinds of pain." This was something Johey knew personally and fought to change in herself, and for the many others she encountered also seeking self redemption.

Johey most recent life passions included her career choice to become a full-time pediatric nurse for the chronic and terminally ill at Mott Children's Hospital, taking on the roll of full-time custodial grandparent in her 60's of her beloved Adi who has thrived under the love and perseverance of her "Bob's" and Grandpa Knute (Johey's name affectional given to her by her first grandchild, Javier who as a toddler was unable to pronounce "Abuelita") at Johey's insistence for early intervention treatment, education and support for Aid through the help of Double Arc Center for FASD, Adi's now also love for the arts has been a valued outlet for this amazing child so she can realize her own beauty through dance, painting and performance arts, a dedicated advocate as a Lucas County Juvenile Court Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for which Johey was received a CASA Courage award her first year in the program, and this past summer as a the facilitator of the expansion of their newest family member, Ryder, BFF and therapy assistance dog to Adeline through the renowned local resources of The Ability Center, for which Adeline was recently commended for her outstanding care and support of Ryder.

Johey is survived by her husband; Knute Huber, children; Carrie (Steve) Sizemore, Socorro Sevilla (Dan Kruse), Heather Huber (Nate Klingensmith), Kevin Huber (Sarina), Elizabeth Huber and Nicole Huber, grandchildren; Javier Sevilla, Nathan Sizemore, Chasadey (Chuck) Wright, Isabelle Sizemore, Evan Klingensmith,

Ethan Klingensmith, Malik Huber, Adeline Huber, Emiliano Huber, Cisco Huber, Zayden Huber, great-grandkids; Callie Sizemore, Nolan, Nevin, Nathanial, Bailey and Beckett Wright, The Village; Tianda Mims; Carl, Andre and CJ Mims, Mary Lou Baumgartner; Irene (Emon, Yusef), Maya, Yuki Mineoi, Hayley (Ari & Leah), parents; Dick (Faye) Crawford) and Amy Crawford, siblings; Rick (Beckie) Crawford, Jenny Crawford, Julie (Jim) Murray, Dan (Sylvia) Yeager, Brian Crawford, Kelly Crawford, Kathy Crawford (Bob Savage), and life long friend; Faith Einerson. Johey is preceded in death by her beloved child, Micaela (Mica) Faith Sevilla, and parents, Carol and Dan Yeager.

A Celebration of Life Service will take place on January 29, 2022 at 29101 Hufford Rd. Perrysburg Ohio 43551 from 11:30 a.m. - ? In honor of our fallen friend, please come causally dressed, no suits or ties, always prepared to stir up some good trouble. Please come to share your stories and love for Johanna, aka Johey, aka "Bob", aka Mom, aka a beautiful soul who's work we need to rally for to help continue her unfinished business. Johey's family is currently working with the Toledo Community Foundation to establish a non-profit legacy foundation in Johey's name to posthumously support all of the many, many social causes Johey was forced to abruptly leave behind. As said by Johey's dear friend Faith's son, Johey died as she had lived her entire life, defending a child.