Mrs. Geormine D. Stanyard Crawford

Mrs. Geormine D. Stanyard Crawford, 62, of Washington, DC (formerly of Charleston, SC) entered into eternal rest on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. Obituary Geormine Deweya Stanyard Crawford, affectionately known as “Queen Ge,” was born August 5, 1960, in Charleston, SC, the eldest daughter of the late George Dewey Stanyard, Sr. and the late Hermine Payne Stanyard. She was baptized and attended the Morris Street Baptist Church in Charleston with her family until college. Upon arrival at Howard University, she attended Shiloh Baptist Church in Washington, DC and officially joined in 1986. She was a member of the Haggai Circle, her immediate church family. She served in several ministries, including singing first soprano in the Shiloh Gospel Choir and serving the Women at Shiloh ministry, Shiloh’s 150th Anniversary Committee, and the Finance/Budget Committee. Even through her health challenges, Geormine was deeply committed to working with the Board of Trustees and the Finance Committee to help enhance the fiscal operations of the church. Growing up in a family of educators and artists, Geormine was steeped in a rich environment of the arts, culture, public service, and history, particularly that of the Gullah-Geechee community, where her mother shared the traditions through her poetry and advocacy. Geormine found her artistic voice through dance, where she excelled as the first African American ballerina with the Charleston Ballet Company. She traveled and performed with the company for many years before retiring due to a back injury. She began her public service work as a proud member of the National Federation of Colored Women and Girls Clubs in Charleston. Academically, Geormine completed her primary and secondary education in the public schools of Charleston, graduating from the Charles A. Brown High School, where she was Miss C.A. Brown and her father served as principal. She was accepted and matriculated at Howard University, 1978-1983, where she double majored in Accounting and Computer-based Information Systems. While at Howard, Geormine was initiated into Alpha Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated with her Fortuitous 53 line sisters (she was #1) in Spring 1981, kicking off a lifetime of devotion and service to the sisterhood. Post-graduation, Geormine joined Delta’s Washington, DC Alumnae Chapter and served in positions to refine internal chapter operations, including Chapter Treasurer, Chair of the Arts and Letters Committee, and member of the Washington DC Alumnae Foundation, the Finance Committee, the Social Action Committee, and the Membership Intake Committee. She was a dedicated Community Outreach Committee member, participating in activities such as feeding the homeless through We Feed Our People, Meals On Wheels, and Pamper Me Day, a prom dress giveaway. She was instrumental in expanding the prom dress giveaway program into Back-to-Work Day, providing business attire, resume writing, and interview training to battered women. Geormine also served as an advisor to the Alpha and Mu Beta Chapters, as well as sang in the Delta choir and served as Assistant Sergeant at Arms for Regional Conferences and National Conventions. With newly minted business degrees, Geormine set out to establish herself professionally in the corporate world. She worked as a financial and systems auditor at Chase Manhattan Bank in New York City. She spent almost 20 years at the Federal National Mortgage Association, commonly known as Fannie Mae. Although she was successful in her corporate career, Geormine became restless and wanted to tap into her creativity and discover new interests and entrepreneurship possibilities where she could direct her own path. She combined her love of travel, exploration, and serving others into her newly launched travel agency, DeGeor Services in 1992, while still employed at Fannie Mae. Requiring more flexibility to care for her mother, Geormine stepped out on faith and pursued her passion full-time in 2011. She celebrated DeGeor’s 30th Anniversary with a group trip to Turks and Caicos in September 2022. As with her other pursuits, Geormine excelled in the travel world, building a firm foundation for her own business while also mentoring and looking for opportunities to expose, support, and uplift other travel agents in her network. She was an active charter member of the Professional Travel Agents of North America (PTANA) where she held both local and national positions, most recently, Past President of the National Capital Area Chapter. She was also instrumental in helping to launch the North Carolina Triangle and Central Virginia chapters of PTANA. She was recognized as a tourism leader by invitation and initiation into SKÅL International USA in February 2016. Geormine met the love of her life, Alonzo Crawford, while both resided in the same residential complex in Washington, DC. They were married on June 2, 1990. Not only did she gain a new husband but also a stepdaughter in Candice Crawford. Geormine recaptured her love of dance through Alonzo’s gift for Salsa dance. They spent many date nights at the local salsa dance clubs. Many were attracted to Queen Ge because of her warmth, generosity, and her unselfish service to others. Although she lost her courageous battle to cancer on May 17, 2023, her loved ones rejoice that she is free of pain with her heavenly Father. She was preceded in death by her parents: Mr. George D. Stanyard, Sr. & Hermine P. Stanyard. She leaves to cherish her memory her husband, Alonzo Crawford; stepdaughter Candice (Megan) Crawford-Zakian; brother, George Dewey Stanyard, Jr.; aunts: Willie Dell (Henry) Taylor, Jenny Lou Washington, Eunice Washington, Barbara Payne, Mary A. Brown, Rose A. Whitney and Glenemae A. Johnson; uncles: Cyrus Carl (Demetra) Washington, John Nathaniel Ashe, Thomas Ashe and Morris Ashe; sister-in-law: Helen (Sherman) Childs; brother-in-law: Charles E. (Phyllis) Crawford and Kenneth (Ruth) Crawford; god sisters, god brother, cousins, a host of other relatives, friends, church family and sorority sisters. Saturday, May 27, 2023 Morris Street Baptist Church 25 Morris Street Charleston, SC 29403 Viewing: 10:00 AM - 10:50 AM Celebration of Life Service: 11:00 AM Interment: Mt. Pleasant Memorial Gardens 1308 Mathis Ferry Road Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464 The Service will be LIVE STREAMED via the Smith-McNeal Funeral Home - FACEBOOK Page!

Mrs. Geormine D. Stanyard Crawford

August 5, 1960 - May 17, 2023