Rev. Edwin J. "Ned" Crosby, O.S.A. (1910-1986)
Rev. Edwin J. "Ned" Crosby, O.S.A., entered eternal life on February 26, 1986.
Edwin Joseph Crosby was born on August 31, 1910, in Troy, New York, to George and Sara (O'Neill) Crosby. He was baptized on September 7, 1910, at St. Augustine Catholic Church, Troy. He received the Sacrament of Confirmation on May 23, 1921, in the same church.
He received his elementary education at St. Augustine Catholic School, Troy, and he graduated in 1926 from Catholic Central High School, Troy. He worked as a grocery clerk for a short time and then he undertook post-graduate studies at Augustinian Academy, Staten Island, New York.
Ned was received into the Augustinian Novitiate on September 8, 1927. He professed simple (temporary) vows in the Order of St. Augustine on September 9, 1928, and solemn (permanent) vows on September 9, 1931. Ned received a B.A. in Philosophy from Villanova College, Villanova, Pennsylvania, in 1932. From 1932 to 1936, he pursued theological studies at Augustinian College, Washington, D.C. He was ordained a priest on July 11, 1935.
He did further studies at a number of schools: Catholic University, Washington; University of California, Los Angeles; and The Aeronautical University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
Father Crosby was assigned to St. Augustine High School, San Diego, California, in 1936 as a teacher. In 1940, he was transferred as a teacher to St. Rita High School, Chicago. When the new Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel (Augustinians of the Midwest) was formed in 1941, he became affiliated to that Province.
Father Crosby was assigned to teach at St. Thomas High School, Rockford, Illinois, in 1942. He returned in 1948 to teach at St. Rita High School, Chicago.
He was transferred to St. Mary Catholic Parish, Rockford, in 1957, serving as Assistant Pastor. Father Crosby was presiding at the Noon Mass at St. Mary Church on February 26, 1986, when, just after proclaiming the Gospel, he collapsed and died in the church.
Father Crosby was a gentle and retiring man, noted for his unexpected witty sayings.
He is buried in the Augustinian plot at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Alsip, Illinois.
Memorial gifts may be made to: The Midwest Augustinians, 10161 S Longwood Dr, Chicago, IL 60643-2032 or via our Online Giving Page.
