John Steven Crnko

John S. Crnko

John Steven Crnko, 74, went to be with the Lord early in the morning on August 11, 2026, following a short but intense battle with pancreatic cancer. He was born March 31, 1952, in Hammond, Louisiana, to Rudolph Crnko and Margaret Juhasz Crnko. He was a loving husband, a generous father, a protective brother, a wise uncle, a faithful friend, and a supportive colleague.

John graduated 1970 from Holden High School and 1974 from Southeastern Louisiana University. He served as class president all four years at Holden and as SLU Alumni president of Livingston Chapter in the 1980s.

John devoted fifty years of his professional life to analytical science and the petroleum industry. For over thirty years, he played an active role in ASTM International’s technical committees, particularly Committee D02, helping to develop and maintain standards used by laboratories throughout the industry. He held key leadership roles within ASTM, guiding consensus and leading technical work. He also spent many years supplying, through ASI Standards, the calibration and reference materials upon which accurate laboratory measurements depend. At the heart of his career was his consulting work: John developed and revised important ASTM test methods and practices—ones that will be used in American laboratories for decades to come. He remained actively engaged in ASTM standards work through the final months of his life. In another chapter of his career, John served as an officer and national sales manager for Bodoodle Co., whose pioneering arrow-rest designs became an influential part of modern archery.

John was known for his intelligence, candor, and diligence—and his friendly wit. He was a man of joyful greetings, funny stories, funnier sayings, and quiet modesty. He was a walking word of encouragement to those around him. An anchor and a peacemaker for his family, he was generous, respected, and wise. And John never kept a record of wrongs. His great hope was that others know the joy he found in Christ. Indeed, his Christian faith shaped the way he lived. It was expressed in a simple motto he carried throughout his life—and one he tried to teach to young people:

“In everything and to all people: Be Polite, Try Hard, and Pay Attention.”

John was preceded in death by his parents and his beloved sister, Yvonne Hodges.

He is survived by his wife, Lee Ann Christian Crnko; his daughter, Emily-Kate Crnko; his brothers, Alan (Catherine) Crnko, Bryan Crnko, and Thomas Crnko; and his sister, Evelyn Crnko. He also leaves behind a lively collection of nieces and nephews and a score of cousins, many with treasured stories from time spent with him at “Camp You-a-Idiot,” his beloved hunting camp in Deadwood, Texas. Of all earthly places, John cherished none more than the campfire at Deadwood.