Obituaries

Catherine Taressa Crawford

June 16, 1933 - January 19, 2025

Service Date: January 24, 2025

Funeral Home Harding Litwin Funeral Home

Catherine (Cathy) Taressa Crawford, 91, of Tunkhannock passed away at her home on January 19, 2025. She was under the care of a loving team of private caregivers and Hospice of the Sacred Heart.

Cathy was born on the family farm in Montgomery, Pa. on June 16, 1933, the daughter of the late Gerhart and Ida Mae Fawber Miller. A graduate of the Montgomery Area High School, her favorite subjects were the sciences, in particular, biology and botany. Growing up on the farm combined with her keenness for botany, nurtured a lifelong love of gardening and identifying woodland plants. She worked at the Montgomery Mills for several years, and because she loved mechanical challenges, she quickly worked her way up to doing set ups and change overs. Since she was always trying to fix things, pets and people, her family called her Dr Crawford.

In May 16, 1954, she married the late Robert Arthur Crawford also of Montgomery, PA, and deceased in 2013. They had 2 daughters, Valerie Crawford Smith and Carol Susanne (Sue) Crawford. The family relocated to Henrietta, Pennsylvania and then Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania. In the early 70s, Cathy took a position in retail sales at Thrift Drug (later Eckerd) where she started as a sales clerk and “bobbled” her way up to assistant manager. In the late 70s, she served as an officer in the Wyoming County Republican party. She retired from Eckerd in the late 90s.

Cathy enjoyed going to auctions, gardening, and traveling. She often went gambling with her visiting grandkids or with local friends. She was an avid follower of the stock market and enjoyed conversations with her stock broker. Whenever possible, regardless of the weather, she faithfully walked her dog, Jake, at Lazybrook Park, meeting up with other Lazybrook regulars. She was much entertained by birdwatching from her living room window, in particular, the red cardinal she called “Fancy Pants”. She really loved animals of all variety.

In addition to her parents and husband she is preceded in death by best friend and brother, Paul Gerhard Miller.

Cathy’s sparkling blue eyes and shining smile will be missed by: daughter Valerie Smith (husband, Kevin) of Myrtle Beach, SC; daughter Sue Crawford (husband, John Carroll) of Dalton, PA; grandchildren – Richard Smith of Chicago, IL, Catherine Smith of Wheeling, IL, Meredith Carroll of Chicago, IL, Bryn Carroll, of Mount Prospect, IL; and her dog, Jake.

A graveside service will be held January 24th at 11am at the Saint John’s Lutheran-Brick Church Cemetery, Montgomery, Pa. Family and friends are asked to arrive at the cemetery at 10:45am.

The ashes of Robert (Bob) Crawford will also be interred at this service. You can find the obituary for Bob at https://www.tunkhannockfuneralhome.com/obituaries/robert-crawford.

In lieu of flowers, send donations – in honor of her childhood horse, Queenie – to Maryland Therapeutic Riding / Maryland Equine Therapy Center (https://www.horsesthatheal.org), 1141 Sunrise Beach Road, Crownsville, MD 21032, and/or – in honor of her beloved German Shepherd Dog, Bliss – to Griffin Pond Animal Shelter, 967 Griffin Pond Road, South Abington Township PA 18411 (https://www.griffinpondanimalshelter.com).

For online condolences or directions visit www.aplitwinfuneralhomes.com

Anthony P Litwin Jr. Funeral Homes, Inc.

33 Reynolds St.
Factoryville, PA 18419
John F. Litwin FD
570-945-5646

Harding-Litwin Funeral Home

123 West Tioga St.
Tunkhannock, PA 18657
Collin K. Lunger Supervisor
570-836-2294

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