David Carl Crawford

David Carl Crawford of Birmingham, Alabama, passed away on August 7, 2025, at the age of 85. He is survived by his wife, Kathy, his children, Sims (Missie), Lindsay (Tami), and Kathryn, his grandchildren, Nelson, Tucker, Sarah Frances, William, and Smith. He is also survived by his sister, Diane Darrell (Kent), and his nephew, Mark Bentsen (Melissa) and their two sons, Teddy and Tad. He was preceded in death by his mother and father, Mildred and Carl Crawford.

Dave, as he was known by friends and family, was born and raised on a working farm in Peculiar, Missouri, and was the first Crawford to graduate from college. Dave attended the University of Missouri from 1958 to 1962 on an ROTC scholarship, and he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting. Upon graduation, Dave began his enlistment with the United States Navy, where he served from early 1962 through the end of 1966. He was commissioned as an officer and attained the rank of Lieutenant Commander as a pilot, primarily flying the Lockheed P-2V Neptune radar plane with his beloved squadron, the VP-18 Flying Phantoms. While stationed in Pensacola, Dave met his bride-to-be, Kathy, and the two married in December 1962. The Navy newlyweds were transferred to Corpus Christi TX, Norfolk VA, Jacksonville FL, and Puerto Rico before settling in Birmingham after Dave’s honorable discharge from the Navy. He continued serving in the Navy Reserves until 1968, when his first child, Sims, was born.

Around this time, Dave accepted his first accounting job with Lybrand, Ross Brothers & Montgomery, P.C., in Birmingham, where he became a certified public accountant and worked for several years. Thereafter, he ran his own accounting firm for about 4 years and then joined the Borland Benefield accounting firm as a partner around 1978. Dave stayed at Borland Benefield until 2005 and served as its managing partner for more than 15 years. After retiring from Borland Benefield, he served as chief financial officer for the law firm of Parsons, Lee & Juliano until 2012. Since CPAs never really retire, he continued his solo accounting practice at Office Park until 2021, when he finally hung up his spurs.

Dave always loved being a CPA, and he truly enjoyed the friendships that developed over decades of serving his loyal clients. As a bonus, the job gave him ample opportunity to chat with his clients about Alabama football, spin a yarn about his Navy adventures, or tell a joke thick with midwestern wit.

A private burial ceremony will be held for the family at the Alabama National Cemetery in Montevallo, AL. Thereafter, the family will receive visitors on Saturday, August 16, 2025 from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at Canterbury United Methodist Church (in Canterbury Hall), 350 Overbrook Road, Birmingham, AL 35213. A celebration of life will immediately follow at 1:00 p.m. in the sanctuary at Canterbury United Methodist Church.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to one of Dave’s favorite places, the National Naval Aviation Museum, 1750 Radford Boulevard, Pensacola, FL 32508. Naval Aviation Museum Foundation (navalaviationfoundation.org)