Former General Overseer Raymond Crowley Laid to Rest
Cleveland, TN—July 29, 2015–Raymond E. Crowley was laid to rest today following a final memorial service for the former General Overseer of the Church of God. He passed away on July 21 at this home in Chincoteague, Virginia at the age of 92.
Crowley served his calling for a total of 77 years, beginning his ministry at the age of 15. He served as an administrator with the Church of God for 34 years and as a pastor for almost 30. He was elected to the top office of the Church of God in 1986, serving for four years until 1990 when he was appointed state overseer for the Church of God in Florida. Prior to 1986, Crowley had served as assistant director and director of Evangelism and Home Missions, state overseer of Northern Ohio and pastored eight churches in four states, including the Salisbury Church of God in Salisbury, Maryland, which he founded.
Born in Chincoteague, Crowley maintained a home on the tiny islet near the eastern shores of Maryland and Delaware all his life. In the final years of his life he returned to his home where he led a scaled back ministry of pastoring nearby churches and filling in as an interim pastor on several occasions. He was an example of genuine humility and was highly regarded for his wisdom, counseling and spiritual guidance of young ministers. In between he enjoyed the simple pleasures of hunting, fishing and boating around Chincoteague Island.
Crowley was preceded in death by his wife of 54 years, Frances Milligan Crowley. He is survived by his second wife of 21 years, Mary, three step-children and five step-grandchildren.
General Overseer Mark Williams delivers the eulogy of former General Overseer Raymond Crowley at the Lee University Chapel (click photo to enlarge)
Since his death, Crowley was memorialized with a viewing on Saturday at the Holloway Funeral Home in Salisbury. A funeral service was held on Sunday at the Raymond Crowley Worship Center on the Church of God campground in Seaford, Delaware. A final memorial service was conducted at the Lee University Chapel on Wednesday, July 29 at 11:00 a.m. During the service, Crowley was eulogized by Lee University president Dr. Paul Conn and Church of God General Overseer Mark Williams. Among those in attendance at the Cleveland ceremony, including members of the Church of God Executive Committee, were the three immediate past general overseers: Raymond Culpepper (2008-2012), Dennis McGuire (2004-2008), and Lamar Vest (2000-2004; 1990-1994).
“Raymond Crowley was a child of Chincoteague and a child of the Church of God, who became its elder statesman,” Conn said. “For a man who had no biological children, he was one of the most fatherly persons I knew and he became a spiritual father to so many young ministers…spiritual sons were his legacy.”
General Overseer Williams reminisced about Crowley’s upbringing and his hear for the lost.
“When Raymond Crowley spoke, you could hear his heart for the harvest…our burden must be for the lost,” Williams stated. “His was a passionate heart…a heart that was complete and totally committed to God. Farewell, and thank God for a leader after God’s own heart.”
Following the service Crowley was laid to rest with his first wife, Frances, at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Cleveland, Tennessee.
To carry on Crowley’s ministerial legacy, a scholarship fund has been established in his honor. Donations can be mailed to the Raymond Crowley Scholarship Fund, c/o Church of God State Office, 7127 Long View Road, Columbia, MD, 21044.
