Funeral services being held for Southwick beekeeper William Crawford
William (Bill) Crawford III was the owner of New England Apiaries on Klaus Anderson Road in Southwick and was known for Billy C's Raw Honey. Last week, Crawford was operating a fork-style tractor in Oregon, Ohio, when he was struck by a vehicle. He was taken to the hospital for serious injuries, where he later died.
Owner of Billy C's Raw Honey in Southwick died in Ohio crash
According to his obituary from Graham Hilltown Community Funeral Home, 35-year-old Crawford was a graduate of Westfield High School, Holyoke Community College, Westfield State University, and the University of Florida/Jacksonville. In 2007, he started selling honey from a produce farm he worked for in Westfield before forming Pioneer Valley Apiary in what became New England Apiaries.
Billy C's Raw Honey can be found on shelves at Big Y, which offered their condolences on Facebook Tuesday, saying, 'We are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of our valued vendor partner, former employee and friend, Bill Crawford, owner of New England Apiaries, Home of Billy C's Raw Honey. Bill was a trusted collaborator whose professionalism, creativity and unwavering commitment made a lasting impact on our team and the work we accomplished together. Over the years, our partnership with Bill was marked by mutual respect, shared goals and a spirit of collaboration that we deeply cherished. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Bill's family, friends and colleagues during this difficult time. He will be greatly missed.'
Crawford leaves behind his wife, Elaine, and five children. Calling hours are scheduled for Wednesday from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at New Gospel Church on Union Street in Westfield. The funeral service will be held on Thursday at 10:00 a.m.
In addition, a memorial service will be held on June 20 at the Piney Grove Freewill Baptist Church in Georgia.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Yahoo
Casa Italiana social club returns to Springfield, bringing Italian Feast back to city
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Reviving the Italian-American heritage in Springfield, dozens of people came together on Friday for the grand opening of the Italian social club Casa Italiana. Celebrating Italian-American heritage and spreading cheer and tradition, a ribbon-cutting took place for Casa Italiana. This social club was originally founded in 1897, the historic home known to many is recognized as the heart and soul of the local Italian community. Springfield Juneteenth Jubilee Committee hosts annual flag raising ceremony 'This is about family, faith, and food,' said Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno. 'And now to have this Casa Italiana back to the future, and there's a lot of tradition down here. I remember sweeping the streets at 3:00 a.m. after the feast and the fireworks.' 'They've got a nice group of positive people,' said Rico Daniele, member of the Sons & Daughters of Italy. 'We have 20 members now, we're trying to bring it back like the old days and bring people together.' The club also announced that in a month, the one and only Italian Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel will return to the city of Springfield. This will mark the first time in 20 years that the feast will take place, bringing back the 40-foot grease pole competition and traditional food that locals won't want to miss. 'People might remember way back in the day when people went up the pole to get the prosciutto and salami to get that,' said Salvato Circosta, President of Casa Italiana. 'And we're excited to bring that back.' WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Easthampton enjoys strawberry season at annual ice cream social
EASTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) – The Easthampton community is celebrating the start of strawberry season. Easthampton aims to enhance transparency with new public records management Locals got together at the annual Strawberry Ice Cream Social at the River Valley Co-Op, a locally-owned grocery store. From nearby vendors to different flavored ice cream, families enjoyed food produced by farmers in their neighborhood. 'So all the beef is coming locally, so we've got grass-fed beef burgers, we also have beyond-burgers for our non-meat folks, we've got homemade coleslaws and potato salads,' said Karen Mageorge-royal, store manager of River Valley Co-op. Proceeds from Thursday's event will support a local non-profit. Each month, the grocery store gives back to an organization in need. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Building catches fire on Franklin Street in Westfield
WESTFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – A fire broke out in Westfield late Thursday night on Franklin Street. Westfield Starfires join students for STEM showcase The fire took place at around 11:00 p.m. at the same building as Santiago's Family Restaurant on the corner. 22News has reached out to officials and will update this story when more information becomes available. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
