Obituary: David Crozier

British linguist David Crozier fell asleep, for now, on 15 August 2025, having profoundly shaped the modern Nigerian Bible translation movement.

David was born on 15 August 1948, and having done a PhD in Molecular Science at the University of Warwick, SIL training courses and a year at All Nations Christian College, he and his wife Liz joined Wycliffe Bible Translators UK and SIL International in September 1976.

They moved with their two small children to Cameroon for SIL’s Africa Orientation Course, and while awaiting permission to enter Nigeria, David taught on SIL Cameroon’s first Translation Principles Course, where he met Joseph Mfonyam. This led to work on Joseph’s language, Bafut—phonology, literacy classes, recording local texts, writing a literacy transition primer, and setting up language development and translation committees. By the time the Croziers left for Nigeria in 1978, the Christmas and Easter stories had been translated  (the Bafut New Testament was dedicated in 2000, and Old Testament translation is ongoing).

After an MA in Linguistics and Nigerian Languages at the University of Ibadan (with a dissertation on The Phonology of Kambari and Two Feature Theories), and five years based in Salka, Niger State, studying Cishingini (now "Tsishingini"), he obtained a PhD in 1984 on The Discourse Grammar of Cishingini (work was continued on that and related languages by John and Janie Stark and the Kambari Language Project, with the Tsishingini New Testament dedicated in 2012, and Old Testament translation ongoing).

From 1984, David and Liz and their now four children (John, Philip, Angela and Andrew) were based at the Wycliffe Centre in Horsleys Green near High Wycombe, UK. David was from 1986-90 Director of Typesetting Services, 1991-96 Director of the SIL School, for some time a Council member, 1995-96 Centre Director (including overseeing construction of the new Bede building), 1997-9 working on a Business Systems analysis project, 1999-2005 developing courses and teaching on SIL’s European Training Programme, and from 2003 Coordinator of the Advanced Language Analysis Course. He loved teaching and interacting with students and considered it a privilege to train others.

Meanwhile, he was still contributing to work in Nigeria, including in 1992 a revised edition of An Index of Nigerian Languages (co-edited with Roger Blench) with a coloured map of the languages of Nigeria, and two months at Nigeria Bible Translation Trust in 2002, teaching and consulting in linguistics.

In 2005, David and Liz returned full time to Nigeria, for David to become the first Head of Department for the newly formed Linguistics and Bible Translation Department at the Theological College of Northern Nigeria (accredited by the University of Jos). From just three students in the first year, the department grew within three years to 24 BA and 5 MA students. For much of this period, the Croziers’ own garage served as the main classroom (having been converted for the purpose), his home office served as the students’ library and computer lab, and their dining table and living room provided space for classes and linguistics consultations. In 2008-9, David oversaw the construction of an LBTD building (today needing expansion to house the over 100 students!) and in 2011 co-authored with Stephen Dettweiler the introductory handbook Keys to Language Development and Bible Translation (now being reprinted).

Due to ill heath David retired from TCNN and SIL in 2014, and despite his breathing difficulties, enjoyed over ten years of seeing the flourishing of his family.

David Crozier left children and grandchildren, buildings in the UK and Nigeria, and important publications. But his real legacy is in more than bodies, bricks and books. The many tributes coming in talk about patience, generosity, kindness, humour, sharing knowledge and encouraging progress. And many of those tributes come from today’s Nigerian leaders and scholars, now running and advising hundreds of Bible translation projects with various organisations and churches across the country. Though largely intangible, his legacy is immense, and it came not just from his being shaped by a generation of Wycliffe UK ‘legends’, or from his own very great God-given administrative, academic and teaching gifts, but from his good character, and from his intensely hard work.

It was a huge privilege to work with David, and to see him daily, at great cost and yet so modestly, pour himself out for others. No words can do justice to such an offering, but there is One who knows and has recorded it all. And David will wake to breathe the fresh air of the new creation, and to see Him.