With sadness we note the passing of Richard David (“Dick”) Crawford on March 1 2025.

Born August 10, 1934 in Turlock, California, the first child of Maxwell David Crawford and Beatrice Garner Rippey, his life was filled with a love of reading, music, food, family and friends. The family eventually settled in Modesto where he grew up and went to school.

After a brief stint at UC Berkeley, he was working and taking classes at Modesto Junior College, where he met Adele Cutler of Oakdale. They married in 1958 and relocated to San Luis Obispo where he went back to college, studying electrical engineering while Adele supported the couple by waitressing. He graduated and went to work with a technical device company called Hewlett-Packard (HP) that was pioneering industrial electronics in what would later come to be known as Silicon Valley.

Dick spent 40 years as an engineer at HP labs, working on designs for a wide variety of circuits and devices developed for potential HP products, including early versions of ultrasound imaging and wireless infrared communications technology. He holds patents for designs of a variety of electronic devices.

Richard was predeceased by his wife Adele, and younger siblings Marily Crawford Johnston and Ken Crawford. He is survived by his brother Bruce, son Glen, daughter-in-law Loren and grandchildren Robert, Molly and Madelyn.

A memorial service was held May 31, 2025 at Oakdale Citizens Cemetery where he was laid to rest next to Adele.

The Oakdale (Calif.) Leader

The Riverbank (Calif.) News

June 4, 2025