Raymond "Larry" Dean Crawley's Obituary
Raymond Larry Dean Crawley, 79, of Dalton City, Illinois, passed away January 13, 2026, in his home.
Larry was born in Decatur, Illinois, on April 17, 1946, the son of Harold and Lena Ruth Marie (Chastain) Crawley. He grew up on his family’s dairy farm in Macon County, located just outside Elwin, Illinois. He was the youngest of 8 brothers and sisters. Larry graduated from Macon High School and went on to attend Millikin University. He met the love of his life, Rose Anna Hicks, and they were married on October 24, 1968, in Macon County. They celebrated over 50 years of married life until her passing in 2021. Larry worked at Firestone for the early part of their marriage while starting a family, and he learned that factory work was not for him. He changed career paths and began working in the trades as a laborer out of Laborer’s Local 159 in Decatur, Illinois, spending most of his career at Christy-Foltz. He retired from the Laborers so that he could spend time with his family, do projects, and hunt. He was an outdoorsman, hunting, and fishing as often as he could. He shared his love of the outdoors first with his brothers and nephews, then with friends, and finally passed on that love to his children and grandchildren. He served as a trustee for Dora Township for over 30 years. He worked with his hands his whole life, whether it was doing chores, building tires, construction, or woodworking projects. Later, after he retired, he was a very active grandpa for his 4 grandchildren, who meant the world to him. If you knew him, you could not easily forget him.
Larry is survived by his daughters Laura (Eric) Kline of Blountstown, FL, and Lisa (Terry) Simpson of Bethany, IL; siblings Barbara Florey of Shumway, IL, Jack (Brenda) Crawley of Blue Mound, IL, and Janet (Jim) Paslay of Sullivan, IL; grandchildren Sierra Star Kline of Decatur, IL, Savannah Rose (fiancé Brandon Blakemore) Kline of College Station, TX, Christopher Ray Simpson of Bethany, IL, and Danielle Marie Simpson of Bethany, IL; step-grandchildren Michael Simpson and Andrea McVey; great-grandchild Alvin Kline; niece Debra Gordon; nephews Kim Florey, Jeff Crawley, and Ray Crawley; and a host of great-nieces and great-nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, and siblings Harold, Bobby, Betty, and Clyde, and special niece Vicki Crawley.
The family would like to express special thanks to Dr. Dean Davis and staff, Dr. Samuel Potts and staff, Dr. Harrison Gilley and staff, Dr. Ranatunga at SIU Medicine and staff, Dr. Jeffery Smith and staff, and the HSHS Infusion staff.
Services for Larry will be held on Tuesday, January 20, at Graceland Fairlawn Funeral Home. Visitation will begin at 10am and will be followed by a funeral service at 11am. Burial in Graceland Cemetery will follow the service.
Condolences may be shared with the family at https://www.gracelandfairlawn.com.
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