Janet Crawford 1952-2026
Janet Lynn Crawford, 74, died Monday, July 20, 2026, at F.W. Huston Hospital in Winchester.
She was born April 20, 1952, in Kansas City, Mo., the daughter of Walter and Elvina Turnbull Scherer. She graduated from Rosedale High School in Kansas City, earned her teaching degree at Bethel College in Newton, received her bachelor’s degree at Central Christian College in McPherson and her master’s degree in home economics from Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, Wash.
Mrs. Crawford spent most of her teaching career with the Kansas State School for the Blind and served as its first Outreach Vision Teacher. After retiring, she continued to serve as an advocate for students with visual impairments and their families. She also taught in Valley Falls and at schools in western Kansas.
She received the Teacher of the Year Award from the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired in 1998. She was also a member of several groups and clubs including Kansa Prairie Quilters, Kuntry Club, Ladies of the Lake, Odd Dots and Grief Share.
She married James T. Crawford in Dec. 22, 1990, in McLouth. He died in 2022. She was also preceded in death by her parents; a twin sister, Jeannie Scherer; and a brother, Walter Scherer.
Survivors include a daughter, Carolyn Lang and husband Mike, Perry; a son, J.T. Crawford and wife Amy, Osage City; a sister, Donna Scherer, Independence, Mo.; three grandchildren, Claire Thomas and husband Corey, Reid Crawford and fiancé Marley and Greta Crawford; a great-grandson, Judah Thomas; a nephew, Todd Scherer and wife Brenda; and cousins.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 28 at Mercer Funeral Home in Valley Falls with burial to follow in Valley Falls Cemetery. Mrs. Crawford will lie in state from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, July 27, at the funeral home. The family will receive friends from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Memorials may be given to First Baptist Church of McLouth or the Grief Share group at the church, sent in care of Mercer Funeral Home, P.O. Box 270, Holton, KS 66436.
