Monty R. Crawford, 83

Monty passed away Aug. 12, 2024, in St. Maries, Idaho. He was born to Sam and Lucille Crawford on July 2, 1941, in Selby, S.D., the second of two boys.

Monty spent his early years riding horses on the family ranch. He often talked about Auntie Laurie, a mare they all learned to ride on. She had a foal for every kid in the Crawford family. Brother and cousins all had one, 21 in total. Dad was the youngest.

He loved to shoot his Pump Action 22 with friends. One day, four of the boys were walking down the road. One of the boys accidentally pulled the trigger and shot dad in the leg, a mere flesh wound, 'cause he ran like hell wondering what was biting him' til they got him and stopped to see how bad it was. 

Dad’s parents moved all over the Northwest following construction. While living in Vantage, Wash., he met our mom, DeeAnn. He would often take her out on “date night” to hunt rattlesnakes. He loved to hunt anything, but especially mule deer. He liked that they lived in the high country, and at that time, was as “close to heaven as he needed to be.” In June of 1963, Monty and DeeAnn were married in Ellensburg, Wash. After she graduated, they hit the road following construction. 

They had two children along the way, Holli in Oroville, Calif., and Todd in Sandpoint, Idaho. In 1969, they decided that Coeur d’Alene would be their permanent home. Dad went to work for Moen Concrete and worked until they sold to Interstate Concrete, where he remained until his retirement.

He will be greeted in heaven by his parents, grandson Daniel and niece Cathy. But most important of all by DeeAnn. He will be deeply missed by his four grandkids, Sara, Megan, Hailey and Kade, his daughter, Holli, and his son, Todd and Staci. No services are planned at his request. 

Visit Monty's memorial and sign his online guestbook at www.englishfuneralchapel.com.