Charlene Crawford

Charlene Denise Crawford, born Charlene Denise Reed, entered this world on March 4, 1962, at MCV Hospital in Richmond, Virginia, to Raymond and Helen Reed. From the very beginning, Charlene would grow to become someone whose presence was impossible to miss and whose absence will be impossible to fill.

Charlene was educated in Richmond Public Schools and proudly graduated from Armstrong High School in 1980. She later continued her education at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, where she completed coursework and earned her secretarial certification.

In 1993, Charlene married her childhood boyfriend, Keith Crawford Sr., after life brought the two of them back together. Their reunion became lasting love story, and Keith remained her loving and devoted husband throughout their marriage.

Charlene was baptized at St. Paul's Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia, where she remained a member throughout her life. Her faith was an important part of who she was, but so was the way she lived that faith through loving, caring for, encouraging, and looking after others.

Charlene gave birth to two children, Torka and Keith Jr., and when she married Keith, her family grew with the addition of his daughters, Makicia and Kalitah. But anyone who knew Charlene knows that motherhood was never limited by biology. She loved Makicia and Kalitah as her own, and beyond the four children she called hers, she became a mother to many.

She was the team mom, the bonus mom, and the mom to the motherless. She was the woman who somehow always found room for one more person to love. If you belonged to one of her children's teams, walked through her door, needed encouragement, needed somebody in your corner or simply needed a mother you had one in Charlene. And you always knew when she was in your corner.

Charlene may have often been the smallest person in the room, the gym, or on the field, but she was almost certainly the loudest. She cheered hard, loved hard, laughed loudly, and made sure the people she loved knew she was there.

She was known for her beautiful smile and infectious laugh. Charlene loved to dance, and she loved to sing even though she knew perfectly well that singing might not have been one of the gifts God gave her. That certainly never stopped her. If there was music playing, a reason to celebrate, or an opportunity to have a good time, Charlene was ready. Wherever she went, she brought laughter, energy, fun, and good feelings with her.

Charlene was loving, loyal, and wonderfully honest. She would tell you the truth whether you wanted to hear it or not and sometimes especially when you didn't want to hear it. You never had to wonder where you stood with Charlene. Her honesty came from a place of love, and when she loved you, she loved you completely.

She was a daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend. But those titles alone cannot capture everything she was to the people fortunate enough to know her. She was a cheerleader, a protector, a truth-teller, a source of laughter, and the person who could turn an ordinary gathering into a good time simply by showing up.

Charlene leaves to cherish her memory her loving and devoted husband, Mr. Keith Crawford Sr.; her children, Torka Reed, Makicia Crawford, Kalitah Crawford, and Keith Crawford Jr.; her grandson, Joseph Morris Jr.; her granddaughter, Noelle Ketter; Charlene leaves to cherish her memory her loving and devoted husband, Mr. Keith Crawford Sr.; her children, Torka Reed, Makicia Crawford, Kalitah Crawford, and Keith Crawford Jr.; her grandson, Joseph Morris Jr.; her granddaughter, Noelle Ketter; her parents, Raymond and Helen Reed; her sister, Odessa Reed; her brother, Raymond Reed Jr.; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family members, bonus children, and friends whose lives she touched along the way.

She is preceded in death by her maternal and paternal grandparents.

Those who loved Charlene will undoubtedly miss her smile. They will miss that laugh. They will miss her dancing, her singing whether anybody asked for it or not her honesty, her cheering from the sidelines, and that unmistakable voice that could somehow rise above an entire gym. But most of all, they will miss her presence.

Charlene knew how to make people feel loved. She knew how to make people laugh. She knew how to make people feel like family. And if there is one thing we know for certain, it is this:

Charlene Denise Crawford did not simply enter a room she brought life into it. Her voice may no longer be the loudest one in the room, but the love, laughter, and memories she left behind will continue to speak for her.

And knowing Charlene, she would probably tell us not to sit around being sad for too long turn on some music, laugh a little louder, love each other, and enjoy the celebration.