Danny Lawrence Crow's Obituary
DANNY'S STORY:DANNY LAWRENCE CROW, 62, beloved husband of 35 years to Wendy, went to be home with his Lord and Savior on Wednesday Sept. 19, 2012 after a courageous battle with cancer. Dan was born February 28, 1950 in Grand Rapids, the second son of three born to Karl and Dorothy Crow. They raised their boys in the community of Kelloggsville until Dan was 9 years old. They moved to Santa Monica, CA where they spent the next four years. When they returned to Michigan, Dan attended and graduated from Kelloggsville High School with the class of 1968. Dan loved sports and participated whenever he could. In high school his good nature and leadership were recognized when he captained both the football and basketball teams. Following graduation from high school, Dan started working at General Motors, employment that he enjoyed until his retirement in 1999. Dan was wed to Kathy and they started a family together, adopting daughter Rachel and son Matthew, and then added to their joy with the birth of their son, Aaron. While Dan and Kathy were eventually divorced, their children were always the beneficiaries of Dan’s love, affection and parenting. In March of 1977, Dan was introduced to Wendy Roesler in Manistee. They developed a friendship and were wed in Grand Rapids in 1980. Dan adopted Wendy’s son, Jamie, as his own, and later, son Derek was born, adding another member to the Crow family, encircled by the love of their father. Dan would joke that the combination of his five children were “his-hers-mine-ours-and someone else’s”, all completely loved by him. They were truly a blended family. Dan and Wendy lived in Kentwood following their marriage. They later built a house in Byron Center, which is where they first began attending Banner of Christ Church, while it was meeting on Sundays in a school building as it transitioned to its current location.Dan developed strong and lasting bonds while taking part in a men’s Discipleship Group at Banner. These lifelong friendships have strengthened and sustained these men, who met together to share in their spiritual lives and journeys. A special memory and treasured blessing for Dan was participating in the baptism of his friend Rick Doane, along with their pastor Bruce Strine.Dan shared a “happy-go-lucky” persona with those around him, enjoying the life he lived. He cherished the days, having won a bout with pancreatic cancer over 22 years ago. Dan continued with his love of anything sports in his later years, enjoying his time spent hunting, fishing, and golfing. After his retirement from GM, Dan and Wendy moved north to Canadian Lakes, where Dan declared it “heaven on earth”. He could enjoy his family and the outdoors that he loved. Eventually, he began working there part time as well, again developing those strong friendships that were a hallmark of Dan’s nature. He looked forward to his hunting excursions at his friend Denis’, where he pitched his tent in an airplane hangar for deer camp.Dan’s quiet, yet engaging personality was always evident. He usually woke up singing… and ready to eat! He made it a point to say “I love you” to his family and made sure they were secure in his affection. Along with his outdoor fun, he enjoyed another type of hunting, as he scoured antique shops and wandered through flea markets with Wendy. He was an accomplished wood carver and could see the possibilities in any piece of wood. Along with joy, Dan also knew the pain that life can bring when his son Matthew died in an automobile accident in Wisconsin in March of 2005. In December of 2011, the diagnosis of cancer returned and he began chemo treatments in Grand Rapids. On May 23, he began his journey and treatment at the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, where he had bone marrow transplant surgery on May 31. Following his surgery, there were many ups and downs in his days. The constant was Dan’s warmth and encouragement to those around him. Among the hospital staff, there were those who even visited Dan on their days off as they were drawn to his tender heart. Sadly, Dan’s weakened body was not able to recover from this disease and the surgery. He passed from this life to the next on Wednesday, September 19, 2012.Dan will be cherished and remembered as a loving husband to his wife, Wendy, father to his children Rachel (David) Prater, Jamie (Tracie) Crow, Aaron (Holly) Crow, and Derek (Kristina) Crow; grandfather to Emilee, Acacia, Arianna, Logan, Ethan, Alex, Courtney, Carter, Tyler and Jordin; and brother to Ronald and Michael Crow. Waiting in heaven with open arms to greet his dad was son Matthew. Dan will be missed by many sisters and brothers-in-law, ex-wife Kathryn Deyoung, nephews, nieces and special friends too many to name. Danny Lawrence Crow lived a life that was full and loving. He leaves a legacy of memories and family bonds that will be forever treasured.
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