Curtis Wendell Crutchfield

The Life Journey of

LTC Curtis Wendell Crutchfield

Curtis Wendell Crutchfield was born on December 11, 1954, in San Antonio, Texas, to Maude L. Crutchfield and the late George W. Crutchfield. He peacefully departed this life on July 11, 2026, at his home in Brandywine, Maryland.

Curtis was born into a proud military family. His early life as a “military brat”, entailed lots of traveling both domestic and internationally. When he entered high school, the family was stationed at the Air Force base in Wakkani, Japan. Curtis started his high school years boarding and attending Misawa Aomori, in the northern part of the island of Honshu, Japan. This school was located 684 km north of Tokyo, Japan, at the “Tip of the Spear”. The old saying is true, Although miles apart (and for us, years apart), we’re always close in heart”. In 2019, he reunited with some of his classmates and attended his first “Misawa Class of “70s Reunion, in Las Vegas. Oh, what a weekend that was!! The friendships Curtis made in his first two years of high school in Japan, continued to be cherished bonds throughout his life. Curtis completed his senior year at Terry Sanford High School in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Upon graduation, Curtis attended Virginia State University, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting, He was awarded a ROTC scholarship, and upon graduation, was commissioned into the United States Army as a Second Lieutenant in the Finance Corps.

After completing his Basic training at Fort Jackson, in South Carolina, he traveled to SHAPE, Belgium for his first official military assignment. In 1983, he returned to Fort Benjamin Harrison in Lawrence, Indiana to attend the Finance Officer Advanced Course, and in1989 attended the Command and General Staff Officer Course. His following military assignments included the role of Finance Officer at the 5th Finance Group in Frankfurt Germany, and various organizations in the National Capital Region, including the Military District of Washington (MDW), and the Chief of Accounting at the Military Traffic Management Command(MTMC). In the late 1990’s, he took a position at the Pentagon. While there, he managed all personnel related policies and regulations. The job was to take laws that Congress passed, related to military pay, and help develop regulations to implement the policy. His office also developed the “official response” on behalf of the President and the Army Staff, to anyone who would write an inquiry or complaint to their congressman or the President. Before his retirement, He worked for the Office of the Chief of the Army Reserves (OCAR) and Calibre Systems, Inc, a management consulting firm that supported several government agencies.

Ever since Curtis was a small child, and into adulthood, Curtis was always playing some kind of sport. He played softball, basketball, tennis, darts, golf and bowling. If given the opportunity, Curtis would try his hand at any sport. While stationed in Frankfurt, Germany, he tried his hand at “Kegeln“, a German style of bowling. That didn’t last for very long, but he continued to go to watch his new German friends play. It was all about the camaraderie, and of course, the German Beer!!!

His Favorite sports teams were the San Francisco Giants (because of Willie Mays), the Boston Celtics (because of Larry Bird) and the Cleveland Browns (because of Jim Brown). Yes, The Cleveland Browns!!!! No matter how well, or yes, how terrible his teams played, season after season, he remained a loyal fan.

Curtis liked cooking and grilling, trying all kinds of foods, playing Bid Whist, entertaining family and friends and travelling. He truly enjoyed spending time with his “Card Buddies” and looked forward to hosting their annual Super Bowl parties. He and Vivian often traveled with their dear friends, Andrea and Richey Felder, to better explore those hobbies. Together, they traveled the globe by land, sea and air, to Alaska, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Bonaire, Brazil, Curacao, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Panama, Portugal, South Africa, Tahiti, Turkey, and countless trips to Bermuda. Their other traveling partners were Key and Nate Thomas of Troy, Michigan and Maureen and Werner MacDougall, of Frankfurt, Germany. Over the years, Curtis and Vivian spent so much time with all of them that they became an integral part of their families. Curtis and Vivian always referred to them as their “Thomas Family, their “Bermuda Family”, ”their German Family” and their “Scottish Family”.

Curtis leaves to cherish loving memories: his wife of 41 years, Vivian Davis Crutchfield of Brandywine, Md, His mother, Maude L. Crutchfield, of Baltimore, Md. two brothers, William Crutchfield (Brenda), of Woodbridge, Va and Raymond Crutchfield of White Plains, Md, two sisters, Debbie Crutchfield McNeil and Mona Crutchfield Nefferdorf (John), both of Baltimore, Md, One sister - in- law, Zula Groom Crutchfield, of Upper Marlboro, Md, Three nieces. Rachel Crutchfield, of Upper Marlboro, Md, Samantha McNeil Dixon (Mark), of Baltimore, Md, Candice Crutchfield of Columbus, Ohio, two nephews, Brandon and Aiden Nefferdorf, both of Baltimore, Md, One great niece, Nora Dixon, of Baltimore, Md, One God son, James “BJ” Neal (Lia), of Ontario, Calif.,one uncle, Harold Crutchfield, of Broadnax, Va, two aunts-in-law, Nellie Crutchfield of Broadnax, VA and Ann Easley of Salisbury. Md., a special cousin, Cynthia Jones of Baltimore, Md., two special cousins-in-law, Teresa Easley of Bowie, Md and Margo Tyler of Portsmouth, Va and a host of other relatives and friends.