In Memory
CROSBY
J. MICHAEL
Peacefully, in Mt. Lebanon, at age 56, on Friday, October 10, 2003; son of the late William C. and Frances Doorley Crosby; twin of the late Ann Crosby Lindner; survived by brothers, Thomas W. Crosby, of Morgantown, WV and Roger F. Crosby, of Edgewater, NJ; nieces and nephew, Katherine Crosby Chaffin, of Brooklyn, NY, Thomas Ethan Crosby, Pasadena, MD, Crosby W. & Erinann B. Lindner, step-daughter, Jessica Strachan, close friend, Sarah Kennedy, all of Pgh. A graduate of then Slippery Rock State College, Mike was a longtime employee of Schindler Elevator Company and a Mt. Lebanon Swimming Coach. He also served honorably in the U.S. Army. Friends will be received at LAUGHLIN MEMORIAL CHAPEL, 222 Washington Rd., Mt. Lebanon, WEDNESDAY 5-7pm.
Joann Datesh (Kiburz)
Mike Crosby died shortly after our last high school reunion of lung cancer about two years after his twin sister, Ann, died of the same disease. I had talked at length and danced with him at that reunion where he was healthy, but the genetic predisposition and cigarettes caught up with him.I visited him in Mt. Lebanon a week before he died (Pat Patterson arranged it during a visit home to see my family), and he gave me a lovely Wedgewood china salt and pepper shaker set of his mother's to remember him by. He and I had dated in high school, and he sent me off to college with the confidence that even though I was not part of the "in" crowd in high school, I would be successful in the boy/girl scene in college. He was right, and I had always been grateful to him for that. He loved the Four Tops, and freshman year in college, he sent me the record, "It's the Same Old Song" which we had listened to so often. I lost touch with him over the years as we moved on with our lives so I was happy to reconnect at the reunion and to be able to say "goodbye." He was a kind, generous man, and like the song says," Precious memories keep a lingering on every time I hear our favorite song."
Shaun McNally
I met Mike around the 9th grade, when he moved to my neighborhood from Uniontown. We became good friends, playing basketball together in the park during the summers, later swimming on the same teams and travelling to meets together. I had lost touch with Mike until a class reunion in 2000, when we had a chance to catch up on what we'd each been doing. The next time I saw him was at his place on Cochran Road in late August 2003. He wasn't in good shape but was still funny and easy to be with. We traded cancer stories and he gave me the old basketball we used to play with in the 60s. I tried to call him on my return to France but never got through. Mike passed away shortly afterwards. I'll always remember him roaring around on his blue Indian 3-wheeler motorbike. One of a kind, as was Mike.