April 9, 1952 - November 9, 2011

Weaverville - F. Earl "Chip" Crawford, III, age 59, of Weaverville, formerly of Sarasota, Fla., passed away on Wednesday, November 9, 2011, after a four-year battle with multiple sclerosis.

Mr. Crawford was born April 9, 1952, in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and grew up in Charlotte.

Chip was preceded in death by his parents, F. Earl Crawford, Jr., and Louisa Taylor Crawford. He is survived by his wife, Kathryn; step-daughter and son-in-law, Kelly and Joseph Terry of Weaverville; brother, William Robert Crawford of Casper, Wyo.; and sister, Louisa Crawford-Raftis of Kent, Wash.

He attended Clemson University and worked in Florida and in the Bahamas as a realtor, property manager, real estate feature writer, and photographer. He loved the outdoors and was an avid hiker and wood carver. He was a terrific guy with a wonderful sense of humor and will be greatly missed. 

The family will greet friends from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. Saturday, November 12, 2011, at West Funeral Home, 17 Merrimon Ave., Weaverville, with a Sharing of Memories at 2:15 p.m., followed by burial at West Memorial Park.

Flowers are welcome or donations may be made to the National MS Society, Mid-Atlantic Chapter, 9801-I Southern Pine Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28273, or CarePartners Hospice, PO Box 25338, Asheville, NC 28813.

For those who desire, condolences may be offered to the family under Chip's obituary at www.WestFamilyFuneralServices.com.