Philip Crosbie's Obituary
Philip D. Crosbie, Sr. was born on January 27, 1939 in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Fred and Ilona Crosbie, where he remembered his first job pulling a sled of shopping flyers over the ice. He moved to Tacoma with his family at the age of 8 and began a lifelong love for the city.
He attended Stadium High School where he met his beloved sweetheart, Patricia Rose. They courted for two years and then were married for 44 years until her passing in 2001.
At age 18, Philip began working as a Candy Maker at Brown & Haley for 10 years. Philip and Patricia brought four lives into this world with the birth of Philip Jr., Suzanne, Caralynn, and Jason. Six grandchildren completed their family: Dasha, Matthew, Megan, Caitlin, Caleb and Jessica. Dad was proud of every member of his family. After the passing of his beloved wife, Phil found a very special companion and friend, Ellie Froney, who shared nine wonderful years together with him.
The second family he was proud to belong to was the Tacoma Fire Department. He loved his job as a firefighter serving the city of Tacoma for 26 years. He was honored in 1988 with the "Chief's Award for Excellence" for his role in the container ship fire that threatened the safety and ecology of Commencement Bay. He retired five years later as Battalion Chief in 1993.
Dad enjoyed inline skating on the waterfront and playing table tennis in his retirement. He won the WA State Table Tennis title for his age division in 2005. Dad loved all of his ping pong buddies in Tacoma and Puyallup and participated in state-wide tournaments that took him to Olympia and the Tri-Cities.
With deep gratitude for his family gathered at his side, he was never alone in the last four weeks of his life's journey as his children and grandchildren visited and cared for him around the clock. Dad was surrounded by love and was filled with joy to see a smiling face looking back at him whenever he awoke. Dad was known for his quick wit, compassion for others, warm smile, friendly eyes and incredible memory.
The third family our Dad (and Grandpa, Philip D. Crosbie, Sr.) was proud to belong to was the family of Jesus' Disciples. He loved Jesus and was always pointing others to Jesus as the reason for his hope, and any success he achieved or wisdom he possessed. He believed deeply in the church and in helping the poor. He loved the book of Proverbs and celebrated 1 John 5:11 as his signature scripture and life verse!
A special memorial service will be held at University Place Presbyterian Church with the Tacoma Fire Department (TFD) Honor Guard and graveside to follow. The service will be held the first weekend of December with date and time to be confirmed this week. Donations may be made to the TFD Honor Guard or TFD Chaplaincy.
Arrangements by Mountain View Funeral Home.
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