Harley A Crawford

May 20, 1952 – December 13, 2024

Harley Arden Crawford was born on May 20, 1952, in York, South Carolina. The second son of Mitt and Sara Crawford (née Owens), Harley was the older brother to ten siblings and took that title to heart by acting as a protector, provider, and role model for his entire life. His younger siblings regaled their children with stories about Harley and his older brother Larry’s adventures like cutting down pine trees in the forest and carrying them for miles to the family home for Christmas festivities and other tales of his strength and athleticism. As his siblings became parents, their children too collected memories of Harley they hold dear as did practically everyone who crossed paths with him.

His gallantry reached beyond York, all the way across the globe to Southeast Asia where he valiantly served in the United States Armed Forces during the Vietnam War. Following in the giant footsteps of his father, World War II veteran Mitt Crawford, he selflessly answered the Nation’s call to curb the spread of communism. With 58,000 American casualties, his survival illustrates not only his bravery, but his skill in adapting to any environment he entered. It was a blessing he returned safely to the United States upon his honorable discharge; it was a miracle he returned with all of his faculties. Vietnam veterans by many accounts were treated poorly when they returned to the land they fought to keep free--still, nothing ever stopped Harley from advancing forward. 

He manifested his destiny out west, making Inglewood, California his chosen home. He met his wife Pam there and earned the highest honors of his life when he became a father to his daughter Naila and son Harley, Jr. They were the loves of his life and made him a proud grandfather with the births of their children Kadiri, Elijah, and Yusef. The love they shared knew no bounds and will sustain them through this trying yet inevitable transition. It is the same love that carried Naila thousands of miles from her life in California to his bedside, and replenished her so she could care for him, heal him, and recuperate him following a medical emergency most wouldn’t have overcome. For eight years, love was not only spoken; it was done. God reflected Harley’s greatest attributes back to him with his daughter as the mirror and called him Home once his vision of a tangible legacy for his heirs was fully realized. 

Harley joins his wife, Pam; parents, Mitt and Sara; sisters, Sara Lee and Bessie Mae; brothers, Larry and Michael; Aunt, Lucille; father-in-law, Hillard; and other loved ones in the heavenly choir where his heavy baritone will resonate like the vibrations of the deep sea.

He is survived by his children, Naila and Harley Jr.; daughter-in-law, Zehra; grandchildren: Kadiri, Elijah, Amelia, and Yusef; mother-in-law, Clarice; close family members: Barry and his daughter Brittany and her daughters Sinclair and Genesis; nephew, Matan and niece, Nadra Crawford-Cavero (Tomas) and her children Michael and Renee Cavero; niece, Tammy and her family; Lexus and Alanis; brother-in-law, Hillard and his family; his siblings; his cousins; his nieces and nephews; and dear friends, including Roberta, Brian, Kirk and Rick. A special thank you to all the countless aides who diligently attended to and cared for Harley.

His legacy will live through the stories we tell about his illustrations, about the fish sandwiches he made that fed the longshoreman in Long Beach, about his poetry, about him driving the Webber Bread truck, and about him showing up for those he loved. He always showed up. Every hero has a superpower and Harley’s was his presence. Now, it is within us.

Condolences and tributes may also be left at his Veteran's Memorial Wall: Harley Arden Crawford's memorial page - Honor Veterans Legacies at VLM

https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/HARLEYARDENCRAWFORD/a87888

An online celebration of his life will be 2:00 pm EST/11:00 am Pacific at:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYkwqXEELzPQwa9raUubzpA

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