Pucking Lamplighter
Well-known member
Grant Crownfield, my good friend, a Caniac from Day One, and the backbone of our tailgate passed away on Tuesday 8-8-17 of a rare brain disease called Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. He was 56 years old & way too young to leave us. It has been a tough week. I am feeling the loss and I'm definitely having trouble coming to grips with it. I hope typing this helps. If anyone else here who knew Grant wants to share any stories, please do.
This is the only way I know how to share a link, so here goes;
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/newsobserver/obituary.aspx?n=grant-crownfield&pid=186347113
I met Grant at a Hurricanes game in Greensboro in 1997. We would compete to see whose group could get to the pub table by the best beer stand in the concourse at our end of the rink between periods. It didn't take long before it became a challenge to see who could get to the table first to "own" it for the intermission. One night I decided that since we were all Hurricanes fans just using the table as a meeting spot to hold our beers up and to watch the attractive women walk by, why not share? Grant was the first one I met and shook hands with. I did not realize at the time how good a friend he'd become. They invited us to their pre-game tailgate over by the Coliseum radio tower and we started taking turns supplying main courses and side dishes. The tailgate grew as did our friendships.By the time the Hurricanes moved to Raleigh, where it was easier to transport supplies and gear to games, the tailgate grew. We pulled out all the stops when the Draft came to Raleigh and everyone in our group knew to bring extra to offer to the draftees and their families. Grant organized the party for when Judge Wapner came to Raleigh to visit. Grant also was the keystone to our tailgate during the Cup run in 2006. It was a joy to invite visiting media and other team's fans to party with us (until Buffalo arrived). I will miss all the hockey calls and texts from Grant and meeting up at bars for road games.
A dedicated, die hard wolfpack fan, every game that Grant saw mattered to him. Grant was also a music lover who went to any concerts he could get to throughout the region or across the country. He would often catch up with my younger brother at concerts, who shared many of the same musical interests. Grant also loved to fish and about the only thing he'd miss games for was a Fall fishing trip to the coast.
It just doesn't seem right that one of the good guys got taken away from us by such a horrible disease. Enjoy every day you get. Please make sure you tell your friends and family that you love them.
Jim
This is the only way I know how to share a link, so here goes;
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/newsobserver/obituary.aspx?n=grant-crownfield&pid=186347113
I met Grant at a Hurricanes game in Greensboro in 1997. We would compete to see whose group could get to the pub table by the best beer stand in the concourse at our end of the rink between periods. It didn't take long before it became a challenge to see who could get to the table first to "own" it for the intermission. One night I decided that since we were all Hurricanes fans just using the table as a meeting spot to hold our beers up and to watch the attractive women walk by, why not share? Grant was the first one I met and shook hands with. I did not realize at the time how good a friend he'd become. They invited us to their pre-game tailgate over by the Coliseum radio tower and we started taking turns supplying main courses and side dishes. The tailgate grew as did our friendships.By the time the Hurricanes moved to Raleigh, where it was easier to transport supplies and gear to games, the tailgate grew. We pulled out all the stops when the Draft came to Raleigh and everyone in our group knew to bring extra to offer to the draftees and their families. Grant organized the party for when Judge Wapner came to Raleigh to visit. Grant also was the keystone to our tailgate during the Cup run in 2006. It was a joy to invite visiting media and other team's fans to party with us (until Buffalo arrived). I will miss all the hockey calls and texts from Grant and meeting up at bars for road games.
A dedicated, die hard wolfpack fan, every game that Grant saw mattered to him. Grant was also a music lover who went to any concerts he could get to throughout the region or across the country. He would often catch up with my younger brother at concerts, who shared many of the same musical interests. Grant also loved to fish and about the only thing he'd miss games for was a Fall fishing trip to the coast.
It just doesn't seem right that one of the good guys got taken away from us by such a horrible disease. Enjoy every day you get. Please make sure you tell your friends and family that you love them.
Jim
