Gregory Scott Crandall

Gregory S. Crandall

July 6, 1947 - January 14, 2026

Greg retired from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in 1997 after spending 26 years, primarily as a Bailiff, in the Superior Court.  He spent a few years completing the Honey Do list that his wife, Donna had waiting for him.  And then things slowed down.  After several months of feeling at loose ends, his oldest daughter, Pam, suggested he come and watch the Chapman University Women’s Softball team, which was competing in a tournament at a local park.  He went, and the rest, as they say, is history.  He was hooked on the game, on the quality of play, everything about it enthralled him.  He managed to connect with Janet, the Head Coach, who asked him to help train the girls in strength and agility.  He gladly accepted and began his 25-year involvement with the Chapman softball team.  He went from strength and agility training to speed training, being the “bat” man, to statistics, spending hours online researching statistics of upcoming opponents. He became a certified NCAA recruiter and spent hours at local softball tournaments talking to parents and girls about Chapman and the team. He became a familiar face in the Chapman Athletic Department and the entire SCIAC Conference, loving to hear anyone call him “Coach Greg”. The team was his passion.  He would have, and did, do everything he could for as long as he could, to help the team and “his girls”. His face lit up when talking about the team, which was every time he had the chance.

Greg was born to a single mother Gladys (Jo) Crandall, in Elyria, OH.  Soon after he was born, the small family moved to the Detroit area. When Greg was 10, he, his mother and maternal grandparents Max and Tekla Fershland, traveled across the country and settled in Fullerton, CA. Greg graduated from Fullerton High School in 1965.

He was not college bound and soon after graduation enlisted in the US Air Force.  He spent four years as a Security Policeman and celebrated his 21st birthday in the jungles of Thailand.

After his discharge he returned to Fullerton and soon met Sherry Welcker, who had a three-year-old daughter, Tammy.  Greg fell in love with Tammy first and then with Sherry. They married and had another daughter, Nicci.  Greg and Sherry divorced in 1979.

During this time Greg was a bailiff working in the same courtroom as Donna, who was a Superior Court clerk, also going through a divorce.  They exchanged advice – him giving Donna dating advice and Donna giving him advice on raising two girls.

It didn’t take long, Greg and Donna fell in love and were married at their home by Judge William Murray, who they both worked for.  With that marriage, Donna gained two daughters:  Tammy (now Tamara), and Nicci (now Niccole).  Greg also gained two daughters, Pamela and Polly.

The early years of the marriage were interesting times - blending two families and keeping up with all of the girls’ activities.  In addition, Donna was attending Western State University Law School three nights a week.

As the girls grew up and married, or didn’t; had children, or didn’t; the marriage remained strong.  Greg and Donna traveled a great deal in the United States, and also made trips to Ireland and France in the later years.

Since the mid-2000’s Greg’s health increasingly became a concern. He had a six-way bypass surgery in 1996, and by 2007, things weren’t going well. He fought his heart condition and had a certain pride in all he had gone through with it.  Unfortunately, he lost the battle with heart disease in January 2026.

Greg wanted to be remembered as a person who would do whatever he could to help others.  He did that, in so many ways.  Greg has now walked on, but he will live in our hearts forever. He leaves behind Donna, his wife of 45 years, his daughters, Tamara Dean (Pete), Niccole Crandall, Pamela Gibbons and Polly Edwards and his grandchildren, Nathan Paris (Jodi) and Savana Gibbons.

A Celebration of Greg’s life will be held on Sunday, March 22, at 1:00 pm, in the Argyros Forum (AF209) on the Campus of Chapman University.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the California Wolf Center, or a charity of your choice.

Please RSVP USING LINK:

https://tickets.chapman.edu/Online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::article_id=18475F2B-A4F1-4BCB-AA59-4F77F8DA4F50

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