Jane Paige Crowley

Jane Paige “Grammy” Crowley  passed away peacefully on July 27, 2018 at the age of 90 surrounded by her adoring family. Jane leaves behind a legacy of 8 children and their spouses, 15 grandchildren, 9 great grandchildren, and countless friends and people she touched throughout her life with the incredible love and respect that she shared with everyone she met. Jane never met a stranger. Always the optimist, Jane’s unstoppable positive attitude, humor, intellect, and faith led her through a very rich life. Even in the most challenging times, you’d never hear a complaint from Jane, as she always found a reason to be grateful and happy. “But other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?”, was one of her famous sayings.

Jane grew up in Hull where she developed her love for the beach, salt air and lots of lobster. Please note: lobster crackers are for wimps! She was the captain of her Hingham High School cheer squad and softball team. It was on that same beach, while roller skating, that her older brother Jack introduced her to the love of her life, the “handsome upperclassmen”, Walter Crowley. These two built an incredible life together, with Jane going to work in Boston while Walter fought for his country in WWII. They started their family after moving to Springfield, Massachusetts for Walter’s job, and then back to their beloved town of Hingham where they raised their children. They lit up the room with their love of life, jitterbug skills, cribbage matches, card games and hearty laughs. Their front door was always open for friends and family and their front porch hosted many bridge clubs, floor hockey games and cold drinks– light on the ice, please.

Jane’s strength, faith, sense of humor and cribbage skills were instilled in her family and will be carried on for generations. She was the leader of the pack on early Cape Cod mornings bringing all the Grandchildren on “bunny hunts” in search of bunny sightings while their grateful parents got a little more sleep after an undoubtedly late night. Grammy served as the #1 fan to all of her kids and grandkids’ life and sporting events. She was a die-hard fan of her beloved Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots. Her high school yearbook quote indicated that her life’s ambition was to see the Red Sox win the World Series–prayers answered!

Because Jane was always continually adding more to her life, as her eight kids got older, she went to work at Talbots headquarters. We all have the matching cable-knit sweaters to show for it.

Grammy was a member of St. Paul’s Church in Hingham for most of her life, where she volunteered many hours counting money with her friends and trading jokes with the priests. If any of our family or friends needed extra prayers, they always asked Grammy; she seemed to have an inside direct line to getting them answered.

You can’t mention Jane Crowley’s name without the person you are talking to smiling and commenting on what a wonderful person she was. Her positive attitude, generosity and compassion was infectious. She had a genuine interest in everyone she met, always asking about the small details of their life. And she was just so, so darn funny.

Jane spent her last few years at the Allerton House in Crow Point in Hingham, fittingly located just down the road from her cherished family home on Malcolm Street. Her circle of friends, whom she considered family, continued to expand to Allerton’s wonderful staff of nurses and caretakers, especially Pat and Sarah. It was there that Grammy hosted, “Lunch Bunch” on Thursdays with her Great Grandchildren. They would run down the halls to her room for a giant “hurtin” hug and sneak handfuls of jelly beans, which Grammy always encouraged. Her two great granddaughters carry her name, which embodies strength and humor. They have already clearly demonstrated her spirit and unwavering ability to make people laugh.

We all know she is, as Jane liked to say, “happy as a clam at high tide”, watching us all from Heaven and dancing the jitterbug again with her handsome upperclassman.

Jane is remembered with love by her children and their spouses ,Jane (Crowley) and Bill Greene, Jim and Kathy Crowley, Maryann (Crowley) and Dan Sullivan, Loretta (Crowley) and Bob Sherman, Terese (Crowley) and Dan Heintzelman,  Jack and Barbara Crowley, Walter Crowley and Don Kincaid, Richard Crowley.  She is survived by her grandchildren Kelly (Crowley) and Jeff Gorra, Mike Crowley and Jodey Byers, Jack Crowley, Katelyn (Sullivan) and Kevin Halligan, Daniel and Katina Sullivan, Kate (Sherman) and Travis Roth, Kyle Sherman, Tim and Jenny Heintzelman, Lori (Heintzelman) and Charlie Gregg, Kimberly (Heintzelman) and Matt Lavoie, Abby Crowley, Sam Crowley, Scott Crowley, Matthew Crowley, Cassie Greene and her Great Granchildren,  Jake Gorra, Lillian Jane Gorra, Matthew Gorra, Parker Gorra, George Heintzelman, Henry Heintzelman, Tucker Heintzelman, Caroline Jane Gregg, Win Roth.  Jane is pre deceased by her beloved husband  Walter H. Crowley and her grandson Tommy W. Crowley.

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend the visiting hours in the Pyne Keohane Funeral Home, 21 Emerald Street, Hingham (Off Central St..) on Tuesday, July 31 from 4-7pm.

A Celebration of LIfe Service will be held in the Funeral Home on Wednesday morning, August 1 at 9:15am prior to the Funeral Mass in St. Paul’s Church, 147 North Street, Hingham  Wednesday at 10am.

Burial in St. Paul’s Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in memory of Jane Crowley to support cancer research and patient care at:

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute,  P.O. Box 849168 – Boston, MA 02284   or via www.dana-farber.org/gift.