John F. Crowley, Jr., age 85, of Fairfield, Connecticut, passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by his family on Monday, April 22nd, 2024. Beloved husband to Deirdre, father to Kevin, and stepfather to Maureen Jamison Anderson, Ryan Jamison, and Matthew Jamison. Grandfather to Norah, Brady, Quinlan, Seamus, Colin and Liam. Born in Canton, Massachusetts April 30, 1938 to the late John (Sr.) and Teresa Rooney Crowley, and sisters Joan Crowley Cooke and Ann Crowley Langhauser.
John was just four when his father passed away. His mother moved the family to Rockville Center, NY, where he spent the rest of his childhood. A star three-sport scholar-athlete in high school at St. Agnes Cathedral School, John excelled in football, baseball and basketball, and drew upon the values instilled by those sports - values of self-reliance, responsibility, perseverance, practice, to name a few - through the rest of his life. In his own words, “life is a team sport”.
John attended The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, graduating in 1960 with a B.A. in Economics and Business Administration. He credited his collegiate experience not only for the quality of education by the Jesuits, but also for the lifelong relationships he built there.
After Holy Cross, John attended Fordham Law School, working nights to pay for his education. He specialized in tax law and later received a master's from NYU Law School in that field.
In his career, John found success in the world of banking and finance. Wherever he went, he was a builder and creator. He built departments, built teams, and helped his teams build their careers through one-on-one mentorship.
John found his way to a family later in life. A bachelor until he was 50, John married the love of his life, Deirdre, whom he had first met and worked with 20 years earlier, in 1988. A stepfather to Maureen, Ryan and Matthew, John was delighted to be a part of his stepchildren’s lives. A year later, they were blessed - and perhaps a little surprised - to welcome a son, Kevin, into their family. As a father, John was ever patient and endlessly positive. He would always tell the kids to “be the best”. In his parenting, he instilled those same values learned from sport in his childhood: perseverance, practice, responsibility, and self-reliance, among others.
John’s positivity and gratitude permeated his retirement years. Instead of an autobiography, he framed the writings of his life story as a series of tributes to the people who helped him along the way.
John was deeply thoughtful, ever kind, endlessly grateful, and beloved throughout.
Friends may join to memorialize John on Thursday, May 30th, 10:45am at St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Center, NY. The Mass will also be available to live stream for those not able to attend in-person. Live-stream link here.