Joseph C. Crowley

Joseph C. Crowley, Jr., age 83, of Wayne passed away peacefully at home on Thursday, August 8, 2019 while receiving the loving care of his family.

Joseph was born in Quincy, MA.  He and his family lived in a number of places including Weymouth and Scituate, MA, Bridgewater and Summit, NJ before moving to Wayne many years ago.  Joe graduated from North Quincy High School before attending Thayer Academy and then Tufts University where he received his BA in 1959.  During his school years, Joe was a star athlete in baseball, football, basketball and track.  Following college, Joe accepted a position at John Hancock, then later became Executive Vice President and CEO of Rolodex Corporation for many years.

Joe was ordained a Permanent Deacon in the Catholic Diocese of Paterson in 1999, and was a beloved deacon who served at the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Wayne, NJ. He also worked extensively with the developmentally disabled at Catholic Charities where he was honored as the volunteer of the year in 2004. He served as Hospice Chaplain, and volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and the American Red Cross. Joe was also a volunteer coach at Thayer Academy, Braintree, MA where the highlight of his experience was the legendary 1964 football team's season in which they were undefeated, un-tied and un-scored upon. He continued his athletic pursuits throughout his life and became an exceptional runner at the age of forty completing so many marathons that he lost count including the NYC Marathon for many years and the Boston Marathon.

Joe was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.  He cherished sixty-two years of loving and loyal marriage to his wife Joan.  He touched the lives of countless people and will be sincerely missed by everyone who knew him.

Joe is survived by his wife, Dr. Joan C. Crowley, and five children, Joe Crowley III and his wife Clernise, Kathleen Mitchell, Marianne Crowley and her partner Tom Shannon, Deirdre Crowley and her husband Jim Yanker, Tim Crowley and his wife Carolyn. He is also survived by eight grandchildren: Melissa Beveridge (Marshall), Kelly Gingell, Jessica Willis, James Willis, Timothy Crowley, Michael Crowley, Lindsey Mitchell, and Rebecca Mitchell and one great-grandson Tyler Beveridge. Joe is also survived by his brother James “Duke” Crowley and sister-in-law Betty.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Joseph's name to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, Donation Processing, P.O. Box 5014

Hagerstown, MD 21741-5014 https://www.michaeljfox.org or Greyhound Friends of NJ,  GFNJ PO Box 4416 Cherry Hill, NJ  08034-0669, https://www.greyhoundfriendsnj.org/