Lawrence Crawford Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Lawrence Crawford was born on February 22, 1930 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to the late Lloyd Crawford and Alice Venable. He is survived by his sister, Closell Brown of Fresno, Texas and his sister Eunice Smedley of Pittsburgh, and son Steven Lawrence Crawford of Clarksville, Maryland, daughter Debra Alice Crawford of Pittsburgh, son Michael Ernest Crawford of Pittsburgh, son Larnelle Lipscomb of Dallas Texas, daughter Leica Hall of Mesquite, Texas, and son Thomas Lipscomb of Fort Lee, Virginia., and hosts of grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. He was preceded in death by his wife Ella. Lawrence (or Larry) loved and enjoyed his children, family, and home. He was a good man and loving father. He had a warm, friendly smile and a good sense of humor. Lawrence was unique and one of kind; and always marched to his own drum and lived his life his own way. Lawrence grew up in the Hill District of Pittsburgh and later moved to Eighty-Four in Washington County, Pennsylvania. He learned to how to hunt and shoot. He enjoyed both the hustle and bustle of the city, and the openness and quietness of the country. He was always on the go, fun and interesting, and enjoyed exploring what's over the next hill or what is down the road. He would tell us stories when he was a teenager, how he would earn money, hop a train to a city then purchase plane ticket. He would fly around the city, then return back home before nightfall. He was jack-of-trades, a real modern renaissance man that valued, taught and modeled the value of hard work. He worked as a cook, solider, auto mechanic, steelworker, foreman, photographer, jitney driver, TV repairman and more. As a young man in 1947-49, Lawrence got his start working as a waiter for the Pennsylvania Railroad in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Later, Lawrence enlisted in the United States Army as an infantryman. His shooting ability got him special recognition as an expert marksman. In May 4, 1950, he served as a private-E2 in Company "A" 1st Battalion 19th Infantry Regiment 24th Infantry Division (the first racially-integrated US Army division). But world events caught up to Lawrence and changed his life - the Korean War. North Korea invaded South Korea in June 25, 1950. President Truman ordered US ground troops into South Korea. The 24th Infantry Division was the closest to Korea, and was the first to respond. The 24th Divisions mission was to "take the initial shock" of the North Korean assault, and then try to slow their advance until more U.S. Divisions could arrive. Lawrence's regiment departed California, and arrived by ship to South Korea through Port of Pusan, and was part of the historic defense of Pusan Perimeter. His unit fought several ferocious and bloody battles (often hand-to-hand) in and around towns and hills near the Kum River. His unit managed to delay the advancing North Koreans for 2 days, long enough for additional American and U.N. forces to arrive in Pusan and establish defenses further south. The 24th division suffered over 3,600 causalities in 17 days against two full North Korean Divisions. On August 4, 1950, after nearly 2 months of continuous fighting, Lawrence was seriously injured from a rocket barrage and separated from his unit. He was eventually found, evacuated and then flown to Okinawa Japan to recover from his wounds. Later, he was discharged from the U.S. Army Hospital in Valley Forge Pennsylvania on April 18, 1951 with a Korean War Service Medal. Lawrence didn't like to think or talk about his war experience in the Korea War, but instead he liked to focus on living a good and peaceful life. But later in his life, he did share some of his experience with his sons. After the returning from the service, Lawrence had a successful 30-year career with the U.S. Steel Corporation in Rankin, Pennsylvania. Starting as a steelworker, he earned the reputation of being a reliable and hard worker. He was promoted to be the first African-American foreman of the Carrie Blast Furnaces. Lawrence was interested in different things and experiences. He really enjoyed taking pictures. Lawrence was professional portrait and free-lance photographer. He collected dozens of cameras and built a full-color dark room to process photographs out of his home for his business. He had real for talent and an eye for capturing people and the right moment. He loved to travel, and visited nearly all the US States, Mexico and Canada. His favorite trip was to Pikes Peak, Colorado. He was a gun collector, was fond of electronics and gadgets and always seemed to have the latest electronics, and kept up with all the trends. Lawrence loved all kinds of music and accumulated a large record collection - once asked what type of music he liked - Lawrence responded he liked everything that current. He also enjoyed hosting parties at his home, attending family reunions, and always was at the center of a good time. Later in his life, he become an avid bowler and liked playing bingo and winning money at the Veteran's Home. Lawrence often said he lived a full life was blessed with a good family. Acknowledgment We express heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for the support, concern, expressions of love and the kindness extended for our father during his long illness and to us at this time of bereavement. - The Crawford Family

Lawrence Crawford

February 22, 1930 - May 24, 2017