Harry Ray Crosby's Obituary
Harry Ray Crosby was born in Charleston, West Virginia on April 30, 1933. He passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, in Dallas, Texas on July 8, 2023. He lived a long, full life filled with a big family, travel, and lots of friends. Harry was married to his high school sweetheart, Lois Walker Crosby, for 69 years. After graduating high school, he attended Marshall University where he ran track and belonged to the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. After graduating college, with a degree in business and marketing, he worked for several companies in textile sales including E.I. DuPont, Belk Stores, and Springs Industries. His employment opportunities had the family living in Virginia, Delaware, Texas, North Carolina and finally landing in Texas for good in 1973 starting in Richardson, then moving to Horseshoe Bay on Lake LBJ for almost 15 years before returning to the Dallas area.
Harry enjoyed his career in the textile industry, especially the people. He was the consummate salesman. He was very social and could discuss a wide variety of topics but talking about sports and the outdoors were his favorites. He liked to talk about pretty much any topic whether he actually knew anything about the subject or not!! He loved to talk and to poke fun.
Harry loved being a father. It was important for him to be a part of his children’s lives. He traveled a lot for work, but always made it a point to be involved as much as he could. He was a coach and mentor in the different organized sports teams in which his children participated including baseball, basketball, track, and football. He, also, found time to play golf and tennis with them. Sports were an important shared interest with his family.
Harry had an appreciation for the outdoors. He made sure his family experienced the outdoors by traveling across the country with a pop-up camper attached to the station wagon. On these trips, the family experienced the most amazing adventures including fishing in lakes, streams, and oceans, rafting in the big rapids on the New River in West Virginia camping in Yellowstone,
Mount Rushmore and other parks across the United States. He even hunted rattlesnakes with Jim in West Texas!
Harry, especially, enjoyed being a grandfather to his 10 grandchildren. He spent time teaching them to fish off of the dock at the lake house in Horseshoe Bay, riding with them in the boat around Lake LBJ, attending their school and sporting events, and going on ski vacations. As they grew older, he proudly watched several of his grandchildren play sports in college. He sported Green Bay Packers gear for 16 seasons while Mason played and enjoyed attending Packer games at Lambeau Field or watching with friends on television. His bragging rights for all of his grandchildren, no matter what they were involved in, were always enthusiastic and of the highest caliber!
Once Harry retired, he immersed himself into wood carving. He delighted his children and grandchildren with beautiful carvings. His carvings represented their school mascots, wild birds, water mammals, and other animals. He enjoyed teaching others how to carve and share his love of carving. He traveled to the Hopi Nation in Arizona to show young indigenous peoples his art and share his passion for carving with them.
Harry is survived by his wife, Lois Walker Crosby, their two sons and daughters-in-law, Dr. Doug Crosby and Cassie Crosby of Dallas, TX and Jim and Karen Crosby of Georgetown, TX; daughter, Mollie Crosby Nichols of Durango, CO; 10 grandchildren, Ashley Crosby Fraser, Mason Crosby, Rees Crosby, Jordan Crosby Callahan, Victoria Crosby Mendenhall, Harrison Crosby, Colemar Nichols, Sarah Nichols Wanek, William Nichols and Hallie Nichols; and 15 great grandchildren.
Harry is predeceased by his parents, Lawrence and Blanche Crosby, and his older brother, Larry Crosby.
A memorial service will be held on July 22, 2023, at 1:00 at Creekwood United Methodist Church, 261 Country Club Rd., Allen, Texas 75002. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to Creekwood United Methodist Church or to Faith Presbyterian Hospice and The T. Boone Pickens Center for Hospice and Palliative Care.
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