Brig. General Theodore "Ted" Pyle Crichton
Born:      January 17, 1927
Passed:  March 26, 2025

Brig. Gen. Theodore Pyle Crichton, USAF retired, died at home in Greensboro on March 26, 2025, with his family surrounding him. He was 98.

Ted was born in Wilmington, Delaware, on Jan. 17, 1927, the youngest son of Eleanor Pyle and Willard Graham Crichton. He grew up at a house called Hagley, on the Brandywine River. From an early age, he wanted to fly, and he made that dream happen, in a career as a pilot and veteran with 35 years of service.

As a teenager, Ted was eager to follow his brothers into World War II. After graduating from Alexis I. du Pont School, he joined the Army at 18. He received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and graduated in 1950. He chose the U.S. Air Force as his branch of service and received his pilot's wings a year later.

Ted met the love of his life, Stella, from Grand Forks, North Dakota, at an air base in England, where she was working as a teacher. They married in 1955 and made 27 moves together, in the United States and overseas. They had one child, their daughter, Teresa.

Ted loved to fly. He was a command pilot with more than 6,000 flying hours, including 200 combat mission hours in Southeast Asia. He earned a master's degree in aeronautical engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology in Ohio and graduated from the National War College in Washington, DC. He was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and was the wing commander at Rhein-Main Air Base in Frankfurt, West Germany, in the 1970s, with 16 locations under his command in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

His military awards include the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star Medal, the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters, and the Air Force and Army commendation medals. He received the Great Cross of Merit from the Federal Republic of Germany, its highest civilian honor.

Ted retired from the military in 1980, beginning a second career in the aerospace industry in Los Angeles. After 20 years in Southern California, he retired again, as the president of American Nucleonics Corp.

As a pilot, Ted was a member of the Quiet Birdmen, flew a restored World War II aircraft in air shows in California, and volunteered at the Oshkosh air show in Wisconsin. In 2008, he was inducted into the Delaware Aviation Hall of Fame.

Ted and Stella moved to North Carolina in 1999 to be near their daughter and her family. Ted was active in the Kiwanis Club of Greensboro, the West Point Society of the Piedmont, the Black Cap Veterans Group, and the board of the Guilford County Veterans Memorial. A lifelong Episcopalian, he was a faithful member of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. He was an alumnus of Leadership Greensboro Seniors and a mentor to student veterans at UNC Greensboro.

Ted was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 54 years, Stella Peterson Crichton, in 2009; and his brothers, Willard Graham Crichton Jr. and James Warby Crichton. He was one of the last surviving grandsons of the American artist Howard Pyle.

He leaves behind his daughter, Teresa Crichton Audilet, her husband, W. Alexander Audilet, of Greensboro; and three grandchildren, Emily Crichton Audilet, Matthew Graham Audilet and Claire Lorraine Audilet. He was deeply loved and will be remembered for his soft heart, generosity and commitment to always do the right thing.

A service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday April 5th, at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 607 N. Greene St., in Greensboro, North Carolina, with a reception afterward in the parish hall. Burial will follow at Arlington National Cemetery at a date to be announced later.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Guilford County Veterans Memorial in care of the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, the Association of Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the West Point Society of the Piedmont or Holy Trinity Episcopal Church Foundation.

Forbis & Dick Funeral Service, Inc.

1118 N. Elm Street Greensboro, NC 27401


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