April 25, 1941 - April 21, 2025
Thomas Robert Crowley Obituary
Thomas Robert Crowley, (“Tom”), beloved husband of Mary Lynn Crowley and father to Kathleen (“Kate”) Crowley, died peacefully in Arizona on April 21, 2025, surrounded by family. A funeral mass will be held June 28, 2025 at St. Hilary’s Catholic Church in Fairlawn (Akron), Ohio at 10 a.m.
He split his time living in Carefree, Arizona, and Akron, Ohio (Fairlawn Heights), but kept many friends across the United States, Ireland, and other parts of the world.
Tom was born April 25, 1941, in Wyandotte, Michigan, to Frank and Veronica Crowley. He was the first of five children. He attended St. Patrick’s School in his early years and graduated from the University of Detroit High School in 1959. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Detroit in 1962. In the mid- and late-1960s he served proudly in the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force and the National Guard. His service ended in 1970 with an honorable discharge from the Air Force Reserve.
During and after college, Tom held various executive and managerial positions at companies such as Eagle Picher Industries before purchasing Gasko Products in Medina, Ohio, in the mid-1970s. He ran the successful company and retired as chairman and president, selling the company in 2000.
But his biggest love was unquestionably for his family and friends. He is survived by his wife, Mary Lynn, and their daughter Kate Crowley (Marc Lascko), as well as his siblings Ellen Crowley, Anne Ronco, Margaret Kundahl and Mary (Walter) Gutowski. He was also loved by his late brothers-in-law Fredric Kundahl and Edward Ronco III. He also leaves behind many nieces, nephews and grand-nephews.
Tom was an active community leader and philanthropist; he served on numerous boards and supported several critical causes. He sat on the board of Akron Children’s Hospital Foundation in Akron, Ohio, from 1998 until his passing. Before that, he sat on the Children’s Hospital Board of Directors and various committees, including the finance committee. He and his wife most recently gave a gift to establish the Thomas R. & Mary Lynn Crowley Endowed Chair in Neonatology and Maternal Fetal Medicine at Akron Children’s Hospital in 2023. He served on the board of the Gasket Fabricators Association from 1983 to 2001, was an advisor to the Honor Health Foundation in Arizona and was a member of several Irish American organizations. He enjoyed golf with his closest friends at Fairlawn Country Club and the Boulders Golf Club.
He traveled frequently to Ireland over many decades, making over 75 trips to the island, establishing close ties with many cousins and helping to organize triennial gatherings of the Crowley Clan in West Cork, Ireland. He served as Taoiseach (leader) of the worldwide clan from 2001 to 2004.
Tom conducted extensive genealogical research into his Irish ancestry. He published two annotated volumes of letters between his grandparents, documenting their courtship and simultaneously painting a detailed picture of life at the end of the 19th century.
He had a big life, and his loss leaves a large hole in the hearts who cared for him. He always and fondly will be remembered as an optimist, dedicated family member, a generous philanthropist, an avid golfer, a world traveler, a lover of cars, jazz and Ireland and, perhaps most of all, a golden soul who made friends everywhere he went and kept them for the rest of his life.