Awesome, talented, courageous, sweet, smart, handsome
“As a small child Lucas would awaken with a smile each morning,” his mother Phyllis said. Throughout his life, he was always smiling, happy and energetic. Lucas loved playing guitar, fly-fishing, backpacking, horseback riding, and was a great woodworker. He had a close relationship with the Lord and had an expert knowledge of the Bible. He was passionate about life, God, his family and friends and about getting an education.
Lucas was a student at AB Tech in Asheville and had plans to transfer to UNCA to become an attorney and be a good provider and father for his two children, Braxton and Trinity. Sadly, his degree in General Occupation Technology from AB Tech was awarded posthumously a month after his death.
Lucas saw the good in everything and everyone and was always willing to help people. Even when incarcerated on drug-related charges, he encouraged others to escape the chains of addiction and get an education. His mother said: “There have been many stories from his rehab facilities of how he inspired others to love the Lord.”
The family has many warm memories of Lucas spanning his life; times at the beach, school activities, sports and band events. His mother fondly remembers an entire summer backpacking every weekend with Lucas and his dad; they hiked with him to help him stay sober. “Those were very fun times, just being in the outdoors and sharing with him,” Phyllis said.
His mother said that Lucas’s addiction consumed everyone involved and changed Lucas into someone unrecognizable. It was mentally and physically exhausting worrying about him and trying to find help. Lucas tried hard to be free of his drug use and would succeed for a time, “then slip back down, over and over,” his mom said. Due to circumstances surrounding Lucas’s death, his mother believes he was murdered. Unfortunately those who have the power to pursue the matter have declined to so do. His mom said: “they see him as just another statistic.”
“I miss him to my very core,” Phyllis stated, ‘Lucas always had words of encouragement and wisdom for every situation and I miss hearing those words, especially now.’
Lucas’s mother, Phyllis Crawford, provided the information for this narrative.
July 2, 1982-April 13, 2017
Age 34- Lived with addiction 16 years
