Kenneth Eric Crawford.Courtesy of family
Kenneth Eric Crawford. Farm leader. Titan. Sometime tyrant. Dad. Born May 16, 1933, in Milton, Ont.; died March 12, 2021, in Strathroy, Ont., of complications associated with dementia; aged 87.
Ken Crawford was raised by his widower grandfather who worked for the railway in Mount Brydges, Ont. Life was hard but he was driven, proud, hardworking and adventurous. In his late teens, Ken won a brand-new car: a big deal for a young man with limited prospects. Perhaps it gave him confidence. Most certainly it helped catch the eye of Diane Axford. They married in 1952 and started on their family of seven children: five sons and two daughters.
During the early years, Ken moved his growing family from town to town as he chased job opportunities throughout Ontario. He was a truck driver, farm hand and bookkeeper – whatever he could do to earn a living.
The joy of Ken and Diane’s first son, Ricky, was too soon followed by unspeakable tragedy when Ricky died of an illness. They persevered. Eventually, Ken landed a job at Cuddy Farms in Strathroy in the 1960s and learned poultry farming.
In 1967, he left Cuddy Farms to buy and operate his own turkey egg hatching farm, and settled the family into a small house near the village of Nairn.
Tragedy struck again: Ken and Diane’s 14-year-old son, Brett, was killed in a farm accident in 1968. The family was devastated. Ken turned his grief into action by becoming a founding member of the Ontario Farm Safety Association.
Ken possessed a high tolerance for risk: He grew his farm up to 1,000 acres and owned several turkey breeding operations in southwestern Ontario. He earned his pilot’s licence, joined Flying Farmers and became an accomplished pilot, surviving some wild adventures, including an engine fire and an emergency landing at a U.S. Air Base. He loved to buzz his farm and – even more fun – his neighbours, and he flew Diane to vacations across North America. At various times he let each of his children try their hand at the yoke, inspiring two of his sons to earn their own pilot’s licences. One of Ken’s proudest moments was the day he took his grandfather for a ride in his plane.
One of Ken Crawford's proudest moments was the day he took his grandfather who raised him for a ride in his plane.Courtesy of family
Ken was a member of the Ontario Turkey Producers’ Marketing Board, and later executive director of the Canadian Turkey Marketing Agency. He loved to tell the story about the time he sat in Toronto’s Pearson airport unable to get a flight east. The federal agriculture minister walked by with his entourage and invited Ken to join him on his private jet: a defining moment for a boy from Mount Brydges. In his farm leadership role, he took part in world trade negotiations, defending the poultry supply management system he helped to create.
Ken thrived on being in charge and although he was a tough boss, he cultivated sturdy loyalty from employees. He was a successful businessman and farm leader, but he also failed – many times at various ventures. Neither tragedy nor failure discouraged or held him back. He possessed true grit.
In his 80s, Ken was diagnosed with dementia. But even trapped in the horror of confusion and altered reality, Ken still challenged the system. He treated long-term care staff like the bureaucrats and politicians he dealt with all his life and consistently gave everyone a hard time. Still, those staff members who were closest to him wept genuine tears at his passing.
Ken was a natural leader with a flash temper, but he was a man who commanded respect. As a father, he appeared fearless.
Lynette Mader is Ken’s youngest daughter.
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