THOMAS CROWLEY OBITUARY

Thomas H. Crowley Bell Labs mathematician and AT&T executive who shaped his career around computers, author of 1967 expository best seller, husband and father of 14 with 'a faithful heart,' formerly of Madison and Summit, 90 Thomas H. Crowley, 90, died Sept. 25, 2014, at the home of his daughter, Cindy Taylor, in Bedford, Mass. He died peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by his children and their spouses. T.H. Crowley was born June 7, 1924, in Bowling Green, Ohio, the son of Thomas Crowley and Esther Murlin. He married his beloved wife, Rita E. Feeney, in Columbus, Ohio, in 1947, and was the father of 14 children who love him very much. The family resided in Columbus; Madison, N.J., and Summit, N.J.; Arlington, Mass., and Palm Desert, Calif. After serving in the Army during World War II, he attended Ohio State University on the G.I. Bill, graduated in 1954 with a Ph.D. in mathematics, and went to work for Bell Telephone Laboratories in Murray Hill, N.J. He earned several patents for his technical work, headed computer research departments at Bell Labs, including development and marketing of UNIX, and retired in 1985 as software vice-president, AT&T Information Systems. He received the U.S. Army's Outstanding Civilian Service Award for his work as executive director of the Safeguard anti-ballistic missile system software division of Bell Labs. He was a joint author of "Modern Communications" published by Columbia Press in 1962, discussing the use of mathematics in communications. Tom taught Union County, N.J., adult education classes on how computers work at a time when computers were still an exotic mystery to most people. As an outgrowth of his classes, he wrote an introductory book called "Understanding Computers" published by McGraw Hill in 1967, which sold well over 100,000 copies, a best-selling technical book. Computers were the focus of his professional career, and he volunteered his expertise to help individuals, schools, and church groups with their computer needs. His interest and curiosity led him to keep up with technology change all his life. On his cross-country drive in 2012, at the age of 88, he kept the family informed of his progress through pictures and Facebook postings made from his iPad. Education and community service were important to Tom. As a matter of course, Tom and Rita sent all their children off to college - they had three or more children in college at the same time from 1969 to 1983. Tom served on many government task forces and academic committees during his work career. His commitment to lifelong learning meant that even through retirement, he engaged in activities that ranged from teaching bridge to arranging programs and symposiums on current affairs for his community. Tom was an active volunteer with a number of organizations including Telephone Pioneers of America, Habitat for Humanity, and Friends of the Palm Desert Library. He was a lifelong bridge player; he loved games and puzzles, especially working on crossword puzzles with Rita and playing board games of all kinds with the kids. Tom and Rita took up tennis later in life and made many close friends at the Deep Canyon Tennis Club in Palm Desert, where they started spending winters in 1984. He had a strong sense of family responsibility. He took care of his younger siblings after his mother died when he was 12. With patience and kindness, treating each other as equal partners, Tom and Rita raised 14 children with love (and limited TV time) while never losing sight of each other. They taught fairness and honesty by example, encouraging cooperation and negotiation among the kids, useful skills in a big family and in life. Their love for one another, harmony through the trials of daily living, and faithful hearts are an inspiration to all of their children. Tom was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Rita; sister, Margaret Larsen; son, Steve Crowley; and four grandchildren. He is survived by his children, Linda (Ken) Koehler of Henrietta, N.Y.; Trisha (Steve Schmidt) Crowley of Champaign, Ill.; Jim (Kathy Campbell) Crowley of Oakton, Va.; Sue (Eric) Gottschalk of Danbury, Conn.; Mary Crowley of Madison, N.J.; Dave (Diane) Crowley of Arlington, Mass.; Cindy (Ron) Taylor of Bedford, Mass.; Brian Crowley of Albany, Calif.; Terry (Manuela) Crowley of Woodinville, Wash.; Karen (Tony) DaSilva of Sudbury, Mass.; Betsy (Fred) Frederick of Tucson, Ariz.; Chris (Elizabeth Kim) Crowley of Wellesley, Mass., and Tom (Ning) Crowley of Newton, Mass.; also daughter-in-law, Lora Crowley; brothers, James and J. Patrick Crowley; 26 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren, and 31 nieces and nephews. Visiting was held Saturday, Sept. 27, at Bedford Funeral Home, 167 Great Rd., Bedford Mass. Please visit bedfordfuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Habitat for Humanity, 121 Habitat St., Americus, Ga. 31709, or www.habitat.org.