Robert Charles Crane

Robert Charles Crane passed away on Thursday, December 3, 2020. He was born on October 8, 1934, in Brooklyn, New York. He was the eldest of five children born to Joseph and Elsie Crane. Growing up in Brooklyn meant rooting for the Dodgers and playing street hockey and stickball while attending Catholic schools. Thanks to a good high school friend, “Bob” was introduced to Eileen Mary O’Brien when they were both about fifteen. After Bob spent several years at Kings Point Naval Academy, and left the Navy with the rank of Lieutenant, Bob and Eileen were married on August 10th, 1957. Bob was the first of the Crane family to ever earn a college degree, and he majored in Engineering. Bob and Eileen had two children, Michael and Stephen, who were raised in in Garden City, Long Island. Bob had several employers including Westinghouse and ITT, but his longest tenure was with Grumman Aerospace Corporation, where Bob worked on many projects including the lunar module that safely landed many astronauts on the moon. Eileen was a homemaker for several years and then returned to school where she obtained a bachelors, Masters, and ultimately a Ph. D. She finished her career in education as a Dean of multiple schools at Stockton University in New Jersey. Eileen was also the first in her family to obtain a college degree. Bob also obtained a Masters, and their belief in the importance of education passed down to Mike and Steve. Mike followed his passion and has had a long and impressive career at National Public Radio stations; he’s currently Director of Wisconsin Public Radio and resides in Madison, WI. Steve was a CPA with Motorola for a number of years until deciding to become a high school teacher, which he has now done for over 18 years here in Sarasota. Bob and Eileen loved the ocean, reading, the arts, and travel. They visited numerous countries in Europe and North Africa over the years, the highlight being a visit to Ireland given that both have a great deal of Irish in their background. In recent years, Bob delighted in his 5 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. Bob was a quiet man but with an undeniable strength of character. Words that best describe him are patient, kind, gentle, generous, and full of integrity. Plus, he had a witty sense of humor that was typically delivered with a straight face and could really sneak up on you. When Eileen passed in 2018, the two had been married over 60 years, and their love was so deep that it was hard for any family members to imagine the two of them apart. But now, they are together again, and anyone that came in contact with them felt blessed to have known them.

In lieu of flowers please make donation to one of these non-profits that Bob and Eileen supported:

Sr. Friendship Center https://friendshipcenters.org which provides services to aging people.

Resurrection House https://www.resurrectionhousesarasota.org which helps people experiencing homelessness. Habitat for Humanity, Sarasota https://habitatsrq.org which helps people lift themselves through home ownership.