CRAFTON, Linda
Linda DuVal Crafton passed away peacefully in her sleep on the morning of February 18, 2024 at the age of 82. She grew up in the Stoneleigh neighborhood of Baltimore County and graduated from Towson High School. Linda completed her bachelor’s degree at the University of Maryland, and was a big Terps basketball fan. She was a lifelong loyal member of Alpha Phi sorority, Delta Zeta chapter and was a devoted friend to and lifelong supporter of her sorority sisters, and also her Sisters and Prophets group. Linda read several books per week for years, and she read all genres - escaping into a good mystery was a pastime she enjoyed so much, especially after she retired from the Virginia Employment Commission after almost 28 years. She loved the beach, and her family took annual summer vacations to Dewey Beach, Rehoboth, and Ocean City, where she could be found enjoying the sea breeze on a shaded porch, reading a book or working on the daily crossword puzzle in The Washington Post, which she read thoroughly every day. Linda also enjoyed eating crabs, at the beach or anywhere else including family occasions such as the family’s annual Labor Day picnic. She was a world traveler and was thrilled to visit Europe, Antarctica, China and Australia among other places - one breathtaking highlight of her travels was being able to see emperor penguins marching to the sea. She was a storyteller- she often told stories with sarcastic wit and humor of when she was growing up in Baltimore, her job, and her vacations, and she loved to laugh and share laughter with those around her. Linda never met a stranger, and she made friends easily with her outgoing down to Earth personality, her ability to find common ground with anyone, and her sincere desire to connect with everyone she met. She sent many cards and personal notes to her family and friends in honor of birthdays, holidays, or just to let us know she was thinking about us.
Linda lived in Burke, Virginia for over 43 years. She so valued her friends and neighbors in her community on Draco Street, and she was a fixture at the Burke Library, Spartans and Anita’s restaurants. Within the last 2 years, she moved to Manassas to live with her son, Bob. Her greatest joy in the world was being a mother to her only child, Robert “Bob” Crafton, of Manassas, Virginia and a grandmother to her granddaughter, Rylee Olivia Moorman-Crafton, of South Riding, Virginia. In addition to Rylee she was the grandmother to David , Lauren, and Robert Crafton, children of her stepson Chuck and Brenda Crafton. Linda was the matriarch of her large, extended family She was not only a loving mother and grandmother, but a devoted sister, aunt, cousin, and treasured friend to many of us , and if you knew her you love her! She was predeceased by her beloved parents, Robert B. and Sara Welty DuVal of Baltimore, Maryland. Besides her son, she leaves behind her loving siblings- brother Robert Brady DuVal, Jr. of Lutherville, MD, sister and brotherin-law Diane D. and John D. Loughman, of Orefield, PA, brother and sister-in-law Douglas and Lynn DuVal of Phoenixville, MD, sister Meredith D. Jackson, of Yorktown, VA, as well as 3 nephews and 5 nieces. Linda met her very best and lifelong friend Susan when they were infants in the church nursery together and they were inseparable after that. By the third grade, there were 10 young girls who formed a strong social connection and remained friends for the rest of their lives. She was loved by so many and will be greatly missed by all who knew her.
A memorial service to celebrate her amazing life will be held at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church (8304 Old Keene Mill Rd, Springfield, Virginia) on Friday, March 8th. After the service, friends and family are invited to share Linda stories of love and laughter at a buffet luncheon to be held at the same location as her service. In honor of Linda it is requested that bright clothing be worn to the service. In lieu of flowers contributions are to be made to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the American Cancer Society, Juvenile Diabetes Association, and/or the American Heart Association.