2 days ago
Funeral services being held for Southwick beekeeper William Crawford
SOUTHWICK, Mass. (WWLP) – Calling hours are being held for a Southwick man who died in a crash while tending bees in Oregon, Ohio.
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
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
