Dessa Crawford Ph.D., formerly Dessa Ewing and wife of the late Henry Kobsa, of Phoenixville, passed away at her home on Wednesday, December 5, 2007 at 66 after a long struggle with A.L.S. (Lou Gehrig's Disease).?Born in Texas to the late W. Jack and Odessa (Barnes) Crawford, she obtained her Doctorate from the University of Texas in Austin.? She moved to the Philadelphia area in 1976 and taught humanities at Delaware County Community College in Media, PA for 23 years.?

She retired early as a Professor Emerita to travel and spend time with her family, and had visited such locations as Vienna, France, Greece and even Antarctica, until her disease progression slowed her abilities.?Dessa is also a widely-published poet (including the Evening Phoenix), and has won many national awards for her poetry.? She is survived by her children Kelly M., wife of John Haile, of South Coventry and Scott Ewing of Phoenixville, her beloved grandsons, Elliot, Brandon and Dylan Haile, and a brother John Crawford, of Nebraska.? She will be sorely missed by her family and her many close friends.?

Family and Friends are invited to attend a Memorial Service, planned to celebrate Dessa's life, on Tuesday at 5 PM in Campbell-Ennis-Klotzbach Funeral Home, Inc., Main Street at Fifth Avenue, Phoenixville, PA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the ALS Assoc. (www.ALSPhiladelphia.org) to support research and save other lives.