Gregory Turner Sawyer

Gregory Turner Sawyer was born on July 20, 1955, in Portsmouth, Virginia. He is the son of the deceased Edward L. and Doris B. Sawyer. On Wednesday, October 16, 2024, Gregory, also known as Crow, was called home at the age of 69. Gregory attended Woodrow Wilson High School and Manor High School in Portsmouth, VA. He also went to trade school to become an auto mechanic. Crow could frequently be found working on cars on evenings and weekends. He worked in the Trucking/Construction industry for over 45 years driving Tandem Dump Trucks. Three (3) notable companies throughout Crow’s career include Womack Construction, Paxton Construction, and Inlet Construction. Gregory married his first wife, Renita Hooks (Coot), on February 3, 1975. His two (2) beautiful daughters (LaKeisha and Catrisha) were born of this 10-year union. On July 21, 2018, Gregory married Hope Montana Kurumlu. He loved Hope unconditionally and cared for her daily even when his own health was failing. Gregory loved the Lord. He rededicated his life to Christ approximately nine (9) years ago. He joined and served at Divine Baptist Church for many years until his wife’s declining health and his health prevented his continued service. Gregory loved singing in the choir and participating in various activities at his church. Crow was a jokester; he was always telling jokes and would often laugh at his own jokes. He enjoyed singing and dancing. He never missed an opportunity to show off his famous dance, “The Crow”. He also loved wearing hats. You would rarely see him without a hat whether he was casually dressed, wearing his Sunday’s best, riding around in his dump truck, or working on a car. Crow could literally fix anything. He wouldn’t stop until he found a way to fix whatever it was, even if he had to ‘Crow Rig’ it. Crow wasn’t big on football or basketball; however, he really loved watching wrestling. WWE Monday Night RAW is how he spent Monday evenings for many years. This is something he thoroughly enjoyed watching with his mother before she passed away in 2019. Crow could cook, too. He would get in the kitchen and whip up some of his family’s famous recipes. Crow loved his family and was so proud of his daughters and his grandchildren. Gregory was preceded in death by his parents, Edward and Doris Sawyer, and his oldest sister, Linda Twine. He is survived by his beloved wife of six (6) years, Hope Sawyer, two daughters, Keisha Hawkins (Eric) and Catrisha Watts (Robert), a bonus daughter that he raised, Takeisha Reynolds, seven (7) grandchildren (Marquel, Malique, Judah, Noah, Shiloh, Isaiah, and Kodi), his sister, India L. Paige, two (2) nieces (Dorescia Paige and Honesty Paige), four (4) nephews (Percy Twine, Jr., Corey Twine, Justice Paige, and Honor Paige), his five (5) great-grandchildren (Siyonee, Londyn, Paris, King, and Queenie), and a brother-in-love, Percy Twine, Sr. Gregory also leaves to cherish his loving memory, a host of cousins, other relatives, coworkers, and close friends who were like family.

Gregory Turner Sawyer

July 20, 1955 - October 16, 2024