Cynthia Johnson Crowley, a long-time teacher at Henry Hudson Regional in Atlantic Highlands, passed away Jan. 6.
Cynthia was the daughter of Theodore Eames Johnson and Frances Wetmore of Watertown, New York and Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. Her family lineage traces back to the nation’s earliest settlers and includes two signers of the Declaration of Independence, Josiah Bartlett and John Adams.
A proud graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Cynthia was an active and giving alumna, endowing several awards to honor female athletes, including the Ivy League championship trophies for both basketball and softball, known as the Johnson Crowley Trophy. She was enshrined in Penn’s Hall of Fame, received their Alumni Award of Merit, and – in one of her proudest moments – had the team room at the famed Palestra named in her honor.
She moved to Monmouth County in 1964, first raising her family in Rumson before moving to Atlantic Highlands and finally Shrewsbury.
A true renaissance woman, Cynthia was passionate and accomplished in many fields. She was a terrific athlete, artist, craftsman, sailor, pilot and musician. She was a candidate for the Teacher in Space program. Her artwork took first prize in a national contest sponsored by Motor Boating Magazine. She built boats and houses. She could talk about philosophy for hours on end and had an abiding love for the classical music always playing in her house.
Her greatest joys were sailing and teaching. She taught for over 20 years at Henry Hudson in Atlantic Highlands, expertly guiding “her kids” through 8th grade English and reading, as well as those in the gifted and talented program. Summers would find her serenely sailing along the Shrewsbury River in her H28 Steadfast or in her snipe off the waters of Watch Hill, Rhode Island.
She was a devoted member of Christ Church Shrewsbury and its choir for nearly 20 years; to this day her best friends are the ones she made there. She was also involved with the Junior League of Monmouth County, president of her local Kappa Alpha Theta alumnae chapter, and a past national president of the Alumnae President’s Council of Independent Secondary Schools.
She is survived by her daughter Cynthia W. Crowley of Bronxville, New York, grandson David Crowley III of Los Angeles, and daughters-in-law Barbara Riccardi and Juana Lat. Her husband Robert Crowley and son David Crowley II predeceased her.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Memorial Service and Burial Eucharist at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 24, to be held at her long-time church, Christ Church, 380 Sycamore Ave., Shrewsbury. Please join us to celebrate an amazing woman.
