Mary Morrison Crow - Obituary

ary M. Crow, 90, died peacefully in her sleep on Wednesday, July 19, 2017 at Baywoods of Annapolis where she was a resident with her husband, Fred, since 2013. Mary was born and raised in the Boston suburb of Medford, MA as the daughter of the late Francis and Esther Morrison along with her older brother, Francis and younger sister, Patricia. She had a wonderful childhood characterized by frequent trips to Cape Cod, which developed her life-long love of the water. Mary attended Medford High School where she used to proudly proclaim she was the “M” in Medford on the school’s cheerleading squad. She graduated from Tufts University in 1948 with a BA in Psychology and was a member of Sigma Kappa sorority. She was a summer exchange student at the University of Paris at the Sorbonne and completed graduate work at Boston University School of Education. Mary became an elementary school teacher in the Boston area and was then later employed with Eastern Airlines in New York City. On December 27, 1952 she married Fred Crow, a World War II vet, Cornell graduate, and newly minted US Air Force fighter pilot. This was the beginning of a wonderful life together. As a typical military family, Fred and Mary travelled the world. They were stationed in numerous locations including, Bitburg, Germany, Myrtle Beach, SC, Las Vegas, NV, Clovis, NM, Fayetteville, NC, Leavenworth, KS, Tampa, FL, Hampton, VA, Alexandria, VA and Victorville, CA. Along the way they were blessed with four children, Cathy, Rick, Jeff, and Pat. With her husband often deployed for long periods of time and in perilous situations such as the Berlin Crisis, Cuban Missile Crisis, and Vietnam War, Mary steadfastly raised her family of four often by herself. Mary’s biggest challenge came on Easter Sunday in 1967. Mary was informed that Fred was shot down by North Vietnamese anti-aircraft missiles while on a combat mission over the Republic of North Vietnam. Mary, a devout Catholic with an unwavering faith in Christ remained strong for her family and for six long years maintained her conviction that her husband would come home one day. Mary was a champion for the humane treatment and release of POWs during the Viet Nam war and was a founding member of the National League of Families, an organization dedicated to that cause. Through her work with the National League of Families she organized petitions to draw U.S. government attention to the prisoners’ plight. This activity included making the POWs a central issue at the Paris Peace talks aimed at ending the Vietnam War. Mary was justly rewarded, when coincidentally, again on Easter Sunday, her husband was released in 1973 and returned home at the end of the war. Mary led an active and giving life including the time her husband was gone. She was an American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor, a lecturer at her church parish, and a top producer as a real estate agent in the Tidewater Virginia area. Upon Fred’s return from Vietnam, the couple were stationed in Northern Virginia and Victorville, CA before returning to Hampton, VA to retire. They resided in Williamsburg, VA for ten years before moving to Annapolis, MD. Mary had a passion for travel, especially extended family vacations. She often remarked, “We need to go on another family cruise.” Mary loved her vacation home in Nags Head, NC, walking, swimming, and in later years her Sudoku puzzles, red wine, and chocolates. Most of all Mary loved life and her family, always providing them with wisdom, humor, positive attitude, and boundless love. Mary is survived by her husband, Col. Frederick A. Crow, Jr. of Annapolis, MD; her three sons, Frederick A. (Charlotte) Crow, III of Davidsonville, MD, Jeffrey F. (Joan) Crow of Moseley, VA, and C. Patrick (Madrienne) Crow of Stuart, FL; her seven grandchildren, Courtney Allen, Christopher Crone, Caroline, Mattie, Rachel, Sean, and Sarah Crow, and two great-grandchildren, London Allen and Christopher Jacob Crone. Mary was preceded in death by her cherished daughter, Cathryn C. Gilmore. Friends are invited to celebrate Mary's life from 6 to 8 pm on Monday, July 24 at the George P. Kalas Funeral Home, 2973 Solomons Island Rd., Edgewater, MD. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10:30 am on Tuesday, July 25 at St. Mary's Catholic Church, 109 Duke of Gloucester St., Annapolis, MD. Interment will be at a later date at Arlington National Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made, in Mary's name, to the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, the Catholic Church of the U.S. in Mission Overseas. Condolences may be made by clicking the tab on this page.