Harold Wayne Critchfield, 75, went home to be with his Lord and Savior, March 11, 2024, at the Lexington VA Medical Center, surrounded by his family. 

He was born on February 7, 1949, in Lexington, Kentucky, where he grew up and graduated from Henry Clay High School. He attended the University of Kentucky briefly, but then decided to serve his country by enlisting in the Navy where he was a corpsman from 1969 to 1973. Upon honorable discharge from the Navy, he finished his college education, graduating from Eastern Kentucky University. 

He returned to Lexington, KY after college to help run the family business, Critchfield Meats, with his siblings until he retired in 2007. 

Harold was a life-long hunter, fisherman, and was passionate about playing and watching sports. While he enjoyed all those things well into his 70s, he decided at age 56 to learn to play piano. He took lessons, but was mostly self-taught, and mastered many classical pieces by Bach and Beethoven. In his last weeks of playing piano, however, he was practicing “I Will Always Love You” for his wife, Martha.   

Harold was full of laughter and fun. He loved to get out and go in his truck, study the Bible, and was a voracious reader of the news. He was generous, often emptying the freezer to give food to others. He loved to grill steaks and cook, gather with family for holidays, and was a friend to everyone he met.

Harold is survived by his wife, Martha Critchfield; three brothers, Larry (Brenda), Mike (Debbie), and Mark (Susan); two sisters, Gail Morrison (Terry) and Sandra Hudson (Don); four stepchildren, Tim Smith, Warren Hendricks, Ben Patton, and Dana Patton; numerous nieces and nephews and step-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Amos B. and Opal Wise Critchfield. He will be deeply missed. 

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, March 16, at Westside Christian Church, 966 Campbellsville Street, in Liberty, Kentucky. The service will begin at 2pm, led by pastor and close friend Marty Shackelford, with food and fellowship afterwards.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Fisher House Foundation (www.fisherhouse.org). 

Obituary courtesy of McKinney-Brown Funeral Home. Guestbook available at www.mckinneybrown.com.