Stephen Cranford

Funeral services Stephen Ray Cranford, 60 of Carthage Texas will be at 3:00 p.m., Friday, June 21, 2013 in the Hawthorn Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Sara Curley and Dr. Dale Reed officiating. Burial will follow in Walton Cemetery under the direction of Hawthorn Funeral Home. Family visitation will be Thursday, June 20, 2013 from 6 - 8:00 pm at the funeral home. Steve, the beloved eldest son of Billy Ray and Faye (Chapman) Cranford passed on to be with his Lord and Saviour, June 16, 2013 in Longview, Texas. Born in Kermit, Texas on June 19, 1952, he attended Crane High School and went on to complete his education at Howard Junior College in Big Spring and then Tarleton State University in Stephenville on golf scholarships, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1974. After college he went to work as an assistant pro at El Paso country Club, El Paso, Texas. Later he moved to Artesia, New Mexico where he was the golf pro and high school coach. Steve moved to Carthage in 1997. Although he was passionate about golf, he loved all sports as well as fishing and hunting. He was employed for 16 years with Pierce Construction Company of Beckville. Steve is survived by his parents, Billy Ray and Faye Cranford of Carthage; brother, Michael Shane Cranford of Houston; sister, Sherryl Cranford-Coffey and husband Ryan of San Antonio; niece Stacy Sandel and husband Jason, along with great niece Stella and great nephew Jasper of Farmington, New Mexico; aunt, Sherryl Diane Pavlick of Pittsburgh, PA; and his cherished friend Kay Cranford and daughter Casie of Murval. In Steve’s memory, the family is requesting any donations be made to the Beckville Education Foundation, P.O. Box 37, Beckville, TX 75631 or the Carthage Education Foundation, #1 Bulldog Drive, Carthage, TX 75633. The family would like to acknowledge and thank the Longview Good Sheperd fifth floor ICU unit team, the third floor nursing staff and Heart to Heart hospice caregivers for their service and excellent care provided to Steve. Serving as pallbearers will be Ryan Coffey, Jason Sandel, Stacy Cranford, Brent Hight, Kenneth Pierce, Justin Pierce, Chris White and Gary Guthrie. Honorary pallbearers will be Frank Allums, Carlos Lotero, Lary Byars, Delbert Cranford, and Sidney Williamson.

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Stephen Cranford

June 19, 1952 - June 16, 2013