Angelena Machac Crawley Obituary (2001)

Angelena Machac Crawley was born 78 years ago on a a farm 20 miles northwest of Houston. She was the last survivor of her family of seven children and the youngest daughter of Moravian immigrants, her father, Johan Machac, having come from Moravia and her mother, Francesca Vesily, the first generation of Moravian immigrants. She could not speak a word of English when she started school in Monaville, and she always carried an indefinable accent. At the age of twenty, she left nursing school to marry Henri D. Crawley, a Civil Air Patrol pilot, in 1942. With World War II and Hank's postgraduate and Ph.D. studies, they moved from Florida to Michigan to Oregon to Illinois to Oklahoma to Colorado and finally to Russellville, Arkansas, where Hank taught at Arkansas Polytechnic College, now Arkansas Tech University, from 1957 to 1984. Hank and Angelena had a 52 year marriage, until his death in 1994. They had six children: Henri Crawley, Jr. of Spokane, OR; Marcus Crawley of Oakland, CA; Susan Crawley Carfagno of Atkins, AR; Sandra Darcey of Burbank, CA; Casimir Crawley of Indianapolis, IN; and Stephanie Crawley Patel of Orlando, FL. Angelena was a wonderful housekeeper, had an artistic flair, and used her creativity and many talents to care for her husband, children and home. She sewed many beautiful dresses, including prom dresses, for her daughters. She created elegance from simple things. She was a superb cook. Survivors include six children and their spouses, Henri D. and Marilyn Crawley of Spokane, Marcus J. and Christine Crawley of Oakland, Susan C. and Jim Carfagno, Jr. of Atkins, Sandra M. and Jim Darcey of Burbank, Casimir J. and Susie Crawley of Indianapolis, Stephanie J. and Bipin Patel of Orlando; 11 grandchildren. Funeral service will be 10:00 Am Monday, July 16, 2001 at the Humphrey Chapel. Burial will be at the National Cemetery at Fort Smith, AR under the direction of Humphrey Funeral Service. Memorials may be made to H. D. Crawley Scholarship Fund. PDF Printable Version