Frederick W. Crowley

Frederick (Fred) Crowley died peacefully on April 19, 2026 at the age of 81, after a long period of declining health. He was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan and lived in Michigan, Philadelphia, and the Chicago suburbs before settling in New Hampshire.

Fred earned a B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering and an MBA from Michigan State University. A veteran of the U.S. Army, he was deployed during the Vietnam era in Philadelphia, where he worked on helicopter alloys.

Fred worked as an engineer for Bell Telephone, then AT&T, and finally Lucent Technologies. He was dedicated to complex problem-solving and often collaborated with Ph.D.-level colleagues to take on difficult challenges. He was deeply committed to his work and often came home late, determined to understand why something wasn’t working correctly.

He had a strong sense of fairness and a desire to make things better. When he was certain that a local water company was overcharging customers, he spent two years collecting and analyzing data, ultimately presenting findings that led to lower rates for everyone.

Fred had an understated sense of humor and was always ready with a play on words; his puns were classic. Although he lived for many years with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and later COPD, he never stopped searching for solutions. Many of his most effective treatments came from his own research then shared with his doctors.

He was always determined to give his loved ones what they needed, although he was very frugal for himself. His face lit up when he saw the people he cared about, and although he was deeply private, those who knew him saw a very kind man.

Fred joins his parents, Willis and Dorothy Crowley, and his beloved wife, Judi, to whom he was married for 51 years. He is deeply missed by his family, including his daughter and son-in-law, Kathy and Neil; his son and daughter-in-law, Glenn and Christie; and his granddaughters, Melody and Abigail.

A memorial will be held this summer at Romulus Cemetery in Romulus, Michigan, where Fred will join his wife, Judi. In his memory, the family suggests donations to the Friends of the Hampstead Public Library.