Dr. Willard K. "Willy" Crawley, Sr.

Video Memorial TributeDr. Willard "Willy" K. Crawley, Sr., age 63, died Monday evening, 12/2/13, at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, TN. Funeral services will be 10:00 a.m. Thursday, 12/5/13, in Gracewood Baptist Church, 8551 Getwell Ave., Southaven, MS. Interment will follow at 1:30 pm in Sardis Lake Church Cemetery, 24709 Hwy 35, Sardis, MS. The Crawley family will receive friends from 8:30 a.m. until service time, Thursday, at the church. A gathering of friends and family will also be held at Sardis Lake Baptist Church after the graveside service. Willy was born to Joe L. & Rubenia Stroup Crawley in Ypsilanti, MI on October 25, 1950. He graduated from South Panola High School in 1969 and from Blue Mountain College in 1977. Then he continued his education at New Orleans Theological Seminary where he received his degree in 1980. Years later, Willy went back to school and attainted his Doctorate of Divinity from Luther Rice Seminary - Atlanta, GA in 2000. Dr. Crawley also served in the Mississippi Army National Guard. Dr. Crawley pastored many Baptist Churches from 1975-2010; including, Hebron Baptist Church- Pheba, MS, Bethel Baptist-Liberty, MS, Lascassas Baptist Church-Lascassas, TN, Miles Road Baptist-Summerville, SC, Florence Baptist Church-Pelion, SC, Courtland Bapitst-Courtland, MS, Twin Lakes Baptist-Horn Lake, MS and Dr. Crawley served as interim pastor at West Acres Baptist Church-West Helena-Helena, AR. Presently he and his wife, Gail, were members of Gracewood Baptist Church in Southaven, MS where he led several bible studies and was also a teacher for a couples Sunday School class. In October 2013, Willy retired after working for FedEx. He worked for Kelly Services as a substitute teacher in Southaven. Willy left a large family behind when he went on to be with our Heavenly Father. Among those, survivors, his wife of 43 years, Barbara Gail Long Crawley, 2 daughters, Brandy Crawley Bailey (Victor) of Hernando, MS and Elisabeth Diane Crawley May (Jason) of Newellton, LA; one son, Willard Karol Crawley, Jr. of Walls, MS, his mother, Rubenia Stroup Crawley of Batesville, MS, sister, Janis Crawley Cathcart (Roy) of Batesville; brother, Larry Crawley also of Batesville and 5 grandchildren, Alexander, Abigail, Jacob, Ava and Sawyer. He was preceded in death by his father, Joe L. Crawley and one grandson, Joshua Connor May. The Crawleys ask that in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to Gracewood Baptist Church, 8851 Getwell Ave., Southaven, MS 38672 or Blue Mountain College Scholarship Foundation, P.O. Box 160, Blue Mountain, MS 38610.