Diane Crawford, age 79, passed away on March 21, 2025, in Grand Rapids, Michigan after a battle with dementia. She was born in Detroit, Michigan to Paul and Elsie (Nowicki) Krause. After attending St. Rita High School, she worked at Detroit Bank and Trust where she met her beloved husband, Thomas Crawford. They married in 1969 at St. Rita's Catholic Church in Detroit and eventually moved to Grand Rapids. Tom and Diane had two children, Kelly and Todd. Diane was a devoted mother who spent hours volunteering at their schools to lead fundraising events and more. She was a constant source of love and support for them. Eventually, Kelly married Kyle Strait, and they had two children, Emmorey (21) and Andersen (18). Todd married Jennifer Cook and had one son, Miles (16). Diane was a wonderful grandma who often cared for her grandchildren and enjoyed spoiling them. She has always had a heart for children and post-retirement from working at Gerard Educational Consulting, she volunteered at Meadowbrook Elementary. There, she would often bring gifts for the children to celebrate holidays. In addition, as a member of St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, she often baked cookies for events at the church. Diane was a great cook and famous for her cherry chocolate cake and stuffed cabbage rolls!

In 2012, Diane was diagnosed and successfully beat uterine cancer. She continued to be an active grandmother and volunteer. Sadly, in 2017, she was diagnosed with dementia and moved to Grand Brook Memory Care in 2021 where she was very well cared for. Our family will forever be grateful for the incredible staff at Grand Brook Memory Care and Corewell Health Hospice during this difficult time.

Diane is preceded in death by her parents, Elsie and Paul Krause and her brothers, Daniel and Arnold Krause. She is survived by her husband, Thomas Crawford, children and three grandchildren.

A Memorial Mass will be held at St. Paul the Apostle Church, (2750 Burton St. SE, Grand Rapids, 49546) on Thursday, March 27 at 12:00 Noon with Rev. Jake Zemaitis as celebrant. The family will greet visitors one hour prior to the service (11am – 12pm) at the church. Inurnment will take place at Winchester Cemetery, 76 Street SW, Byron Center, Michigan. Memorial donations can be sent to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at https://www.stjude.org/ .