Obituary of Malcolm Douglas Crawford

Malcolm Douglas Crawford, born November 14, 1931, died of a stroke on February 19, 2021 at age 89. Malcolm was born in Buttonwillow, CA and raised on Highlands Stronghold Ranch in Tulelake, CA. His pioneer parents, Daniel M. and Eddie May Crawford were awarded an 80-acre homestead, by lottery, in 1938. Malcolm and his brothers Daniel S. Crawford, David L. Crawford and Stephen S. Crawford worked long hours raising potatoes, wheat and barley, supporting the US War effort in WWII by raising food for the troops. Malcolm graduated with honors from Tulelake HS in 1949, attended Stanford University for a year, then enlisted in the US Air Force during the Korean war. He was trained to assemble atomic bombs and became part of an elite unit stationed in Casablanca, Morocco overseeing the nuclear arsenal kept there. It was in Casablanca that a 21-year-old, gangly American met the 17-year-old Spanish beauty, Londa Liberty Iriarte. She was working as an assistant for her sisters who were performing as traditional flamenco dancers at the Palm Club in Casablanca. They fell in love and got married on May 1, 1954 and remained happily married for the next 66 years, until her death on July 6, 2019. After being honorably discharged from the Air Force in 1955, Malcolm returned to Stanford University to complete his degree in Mining Engineering. Their time in Palo Alto produced their first 2 sons while Malcolm did odd jobs and was a varsity wrestler. Upon graduation in 1958, Malcolm and Londa moved to Riverton & Shirley Basin, WY where Malcolm designed open-pit and shaft mines for the booming uranium mining industry during the cold war. Their two younger children were born while the family lived in Wyoming. Malcolm and Londa are survived by their four children, Douglas C. Crawford, Marcus W. Crawford (wife Sara), Daniel M. Crawford (wife Barbara), and Anne-Marie Crawford. They were proud grandparents of Paul D. Marquis and Natalie A. Marquis, children of Anne-Marie, and Carter Crawford, son of Daniel and Barbara. In 1964, Malcolm returned to run the family farming operation in Tulelake, CA. From 1971 until his retirement in 1997, Malcolm managed and operated water districts in Klamath Falls, OR., Lewiston, ID., Sonora, CA. and finally Marina, CA. While in Marina, Malcolm designed and built a state-of-the-art desalination plant. Malcolm had a life-long fascination with the natural world. He was an accomplished hunter, fisherman, outdoorsman, and avid chess player. In addition, Malcolm was an intelligent man, as is evidenced by being President of the Southern NV Mensa chapter. In his retirement, he wrote and published a novel, "Sheila's Tree" which can be found on Amazon.com. Malcolm valued honesty, character, and integrity, more than material wealth. Malcolm faithfully attended to Londa's daily needs during her long convalescence prior to her death. Our family will love, miss, and cherish his life well-lived. A small private burial will be held on March 8, 2021 where he will be interred with the wife he loved, Londa L. Crawford.