Obituary of Matthew Crawford

Matthew Crawford was born January 13, 1959 at Lebanon Hospital in the Bronx, New York to Norman and Beatrice Crawford. Both parents preceded him in death.

Matt as most people called him, attended Samuel Gompers Career & Technical Education High School in the Bronx where he studied all facets of auto mechanic. Since Matt was very advanced in his auto mechanical skills, he was able to attain the theory in the day time and execute his knowledge while working with his father, who was the owner of an auto repair shop.  At a young age he developed the skills for rebuilding transmissions and in his early twenties, he was rebuilding transmissions for the Yellow Cab taxi service in Manhattan. In the early eighties, Matt moved to Maryland and was offered a position at AAMCO.  Although he has worked at many of the AAMCO locations in the D.C, Maryland, and Virginia area, Matt was recognized as one of the top transmission rebuilders in the DMV area for over 25 years.

Matt decided to give his life to Christ and became a member of Springfield Baptist Church in 2016 and regularly attended Bible Study. He became very interested in becoming a child of God after working with and spending a lot of time with Hampton Chandler. Hampton and Dorothy Chandler filled the void of father and mother to Matt, as well as Frances Washington whom he called Aunt Frances.

Matt loved Jazz and great seafood. He also loved to talk and debate once he got to know you, but he also needed his solitude sometimes. He was a deep thinker and would question anything that he did not understand or felt was not right.

Matthew was proceeded in death by his brother, John Robert Lish and his son, Edward Alexander Crawford. He leaves behind to cherish his memory three siblings, two sisters, Josephine Young and Diane Crawford, and one brother, Steven Crawford. He also leaves behind two former wives, Alfreder Gardner and Rebecca White; two sons, Matthew Darnell Gardner and Justin Alexander Crawford (Shateika), and one grandson, Alexander Dru Gardner.  Matt had a sibling like relationship with his nieces Tammy and Marilyn and he also leaves behind a host of nephews, nieces, and cousins.