James Henry Crowley

Obituary: James (Jimmy) Henry Crowley

Dateline: Limerick, Maine

In the early hours of May 31st, 2023, in the comfort of his own bed, James (Jimmy) Henry Crowley passed away peacefully in his sleep. The legacy of love, light and joy that he leaves behind will shine on forever.

Anyone that knew Jimmy knows how he lit up every room he walked into with his passion for life and eagerness to put a smile on the faces of everyone he met. He always smiled and conducted himself wholly from his heart and put all of his love into everything he did. Jimmy was a selfless soul who would literally give someone the shirt off his back. (And we saw him do it!) Life wasn’t easy on Jimmy, but he made the best of it and turned his focus toward being a hard worker who lived life to the fullest and gave everything he could. (Which was more than he had, in many cases!) He prided himself on always showing up, “sad, sick, or sorry,” and it was so important to him that his Mom would be proud. He turned his experiences around into caring for others and made it his personal goal to ensure every single person around him smiled each day. To be honest, it was hard not to smile when you were around him. That child-like delight he found in the simplest joys of life was merely infectious. His spirit was one-of-a-kind and absolutely irreplaceable, all the way down to the finest details of his characteristic sayings like, “Hi there, prettier than me.” He was so charming.

Jimmy always had a special bond with his Aunt Rose Coffill. He was just giddy each year to get the chance to dial up Aunt Rosie on her birthday and call her an “old bitty!” He loved to tease her like that, as they are the same age - and she would give it right back to him! No moment was boring with Jimmy in it. You never knew what was going to come out of his mouth next! His charisma and faces he made always reminded his granddaughters of Robin Williams, and we imagine he could have made a living in stand-up comedy or acting if he so desired - but he never wanted the attention or money - just the value of smiles his comedic personality could provide to others. We’ll never forget his quick wit, nor the endless repository of puns and “dad jokes” combined with that spirited delivery that had his friends and family of all ages constantly in stitches. Jimmy also passionately loved country music and playing guitar. He found great joy in touring nursing homes with his brother Larry, playing and singing country music to spread joy to the “young folk” there.

Jimmy was a self-taught mechanic who could modify, fix, build, and “MacGyver” anything to his liking. Whenever he was driving and saw something like a used bike or lawn mower on the side of the road, he just had to stop and acquire it, many of which he repaired and gave as gifts to various friends and family members. Jimmy was always tinkering on something and needed multiple projects at once to keep his youthful soul busy. In fact, his final few days were spent on road trips with his daughter, Shelly, to visit his daughter Deanna (his princess), and to acquire a whole fleet of electric scooters that would be his next set of projects. He was so excited to wake up the next day and had already organized all his parts and tools for those jobs to get right to work.

Yard sales and flea markets were always some of Jimmy’s favorite spots to find treasures! He would peruse for hours to find the perfect toys and gifts for others, or bikes, mowers, and scooters to tinker on himself - “anything with wheels,” he would say. Jimmy was so thoughtful that he mentally kept track of what made each special person in his life smile and would be sure to collect treasures for them too, such as the frogs he’s been bringing to his granddaughter, Amanda, for longer than she can remember. Frog figurines and decor in all different shapes, sizes, and colors, as he knew they were her favorite critter, and he’d win that big smile from her every time. (Though she lit up every time she saw him regardless of the gifts - we all did! Grampa Jimmy was always the real gift, and we hope he knew that.) The compliments, gifts of love, kind words and actions just poured from Jimmy like a fountain without restraint and made everyone want to be near him for the jubilance he’d bring to even the dullest of situations.

During his 83 years, Jimmy lived in various places throughout the United States until eventually settling in Connecticut in his early 40s where he found his dream job. Jimmy became a mechanic at New Britain Transportation, where he was employed for 40 years until he retired just recently in 2021 at 81 years old. It was such a tough decision for him to retire, one that he wrestled with for at least a decade, as he still had so much energy and drive to contribute to the workforce. Jimmy always said Debbie at NBT was like a daughter to him. She and Mrs. A always watched over him. In his retirement, Jimmy spoke often of them and missed bringing in Morning Tea and treats and seeing their smiles. He viewed his NBT friends as his second family and they still kept in touch until his final days. Jimmy’s daughter, Shelly, was informed that the usually rambunctious garage was blanketed by a palpable silence the day the news of his passing was announced there.

After Jimmy’s retirement he moved to Limerick, Maine to live with his loving daughter, Shelly. She made sure every day was a good day for him. They were inseparable and she took him anywhere his adventurous spirit desired. He adored Jeff and wanted to go to work with him every single day. He also loved to spend that extra time with his “hug bug” Kristen, and she really brought out the child in him. When she visited, he would stay up way past what was a reasonable hour and reminisce and tell her all his jokes and “ditty’s” he called them. They laughed so hard it hurt. It was such a joy to listen in and laugh along. Jimmy also really loved watching and feeding all of the wildlife off their back porch in Maine. We wish he could have seen the new pileated woodpecker that showed up just that day, a few hours too late….

James H. Crowley was born on September 3, 1939, in Erving, Massachusetts to Lawrence Fredrick (Freddy) Crowley and Margaret (Peggy) Gonsalves and was one of five siblings. Brothers, Michael Prest of Las Vegas, Nevada; Mark and Susan Prest of Winter Haven, Florida and Enosburg, Vermont. Sister, Roxanna, and James Kelley of Jaffrey, N.H. and his sister-in-law Brenda Crowley of Brunswick, Maine.

He has two daughters: Deanna Shirley; Michelle Crowley and Jeff Munroe of Limerick, Maine with whom he made his home in retirement.

His grandchildren included: Karen Mosio, Amanda Munroe, Nick Munroe, Daniel Shirley, and Kristen Crowley. His great grandchildren included: Cadence Mosio, Emily Mosio, Isabelle St. Pierre, Isaac St. Pierre, Daniel Shirley the 3rd, and Breydon Shirley.

James leaves behind many dear relatives and was predeceased by his son Wayne Crowley; both parents; brother Larry Crowley; and stepbrothers Charles Prest and Walter Prest.

Please join Jimmy's family for calling hours on Tuesday, June 6th beginning at 10:00 a.m. until the hour of the funeral service at 12 p.m. at Bibber Memorial at Autumn Green, 47 Oak St., in Alfred.

Committal prayers and burial will be at Evergreen Cemetery in Portland.

Online condolences may be shared at Jimmy’s Book of Memories at www.bibbersautumngreen.com

Arrangements are entrusted to Bibber Memorial at Autumn Green, 47 Oak St., in Alfred.