Ray E. Crowley

Raymond E. Crowley died on Wednesday, August 9, 2023, at 91 years old and just shy of celebrating his 70th wedding anniversary with his dearest, surviving wife, Evelyn Crowley. A funeral will be held at Our Chapel of the Pines at Parkhill Cemetery, 4161 Macon Road, Columbus, GA, on August 15th at 2:00pm.

Mr. Crowley was born in Lennox, South Dakota to the late Patrick Clement Crowley and the late Anna Sorenson Crowley. He was the youngest of 6 children and his father died when he was 5 years old. He was the last surviving member of his immediate family. Mr. Crowley is survived by his wife and ultimate partner in life, Evelyn, his 4 children, Tim Crowley, Ann Crowley Patterson, Ellen Crowley Grisham and Steve Crowley. He is also survived by his son in law, G. Douglas Patterson, Jr. and 11 grandchildren.

Mr. Crowley graduated from The University of South Dakota in 1955 and received his CPA from the University of Minnesota in 1960. He graduated from a Harvard University management program in 1963, received an Honorary Degree from Columbus State University in 2013 and Distinguished Service Awards from the University of South Dakota as well as the University of Georgia.

Mr. Crowley worked for and owned several businesses during his career. He was hired by Peat Marwick Mitchell upon receipt of his CPA and went on to work most recently at Royal Crown Cola, Burnham Service Corporation and Childcare Network. Mr. Crowley was a leader in the business and philanthropic communities of Columbus Georgia for over 50 years.

Mr. Crowley’s active philanthropic contributions are too numerous to fully detail, but included Columbus State University, The Columbus Museum and The Columbus Symphony. Mr. Crowley was also devoted to St. Anne’s Catholic Church and awarded a papal award for exemplary service by his dear friend, Bishop Boland of Savannah, Georgia. Among others, Mr. Crowley contributed his energies and served on the boards of the CSU Foundation Board of Trustees, St. Francis Hospital, the Columbus Medical Center, the Columbus Technical College Foundation, University of South Dakota Board of Trustees, the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, and the United Way Business Council of Georgia.

Ray Crowley lived his life to the fullest including being a loving and dutiful husband, father, grandfather, son, brother and friend. Mr. Crowley will also be especially missed by his dearest friend, Mr. Richard Olson of Columbus. His works, deeds and mentorship will live on in the memory of his family members as well as the countless people that he touched with his leadership, optimism, tenacity and devotion.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions in Mr. Crowley’s memory be made to Columbus State University, The Columbus Symphony or the Columbus Museum. These Columbus institutions have been the recipients of the Crowley’s time, talent and financial support for decades.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.shcolumbus.com for the Crowley family.