Obituary for Philip Barker Crosby Jr.
BELFAST………………Philip Barker Crosby passed away peacefully on August 17, 2022.
Phil was born April 20, 1931, the son of Philip Barker Crosby, Sr. and Bernice (Chellis) Crosby,
in Belfast, Maine.
Phil grew up in Belfast and graduated from Crosby High School in 1949, a well lettered-athlete
and president of his class. Phil graduated from Tufts University with a BA in Economics, and in
later years earned his Masters in Guidance at University of Southern Maine, Certificate of
Advanced Studies in School Administration at the University of Maine, and Superintendent of
Schools Certification.
Phil was devoted to his wife Judy to whom he was married for 67 years. They met while he was
a student at Tufts University, married in 1955 in San Juan, Puerto Rico when he was stationed
there in the US Army, and returned to Belfast where their first daughter Jayne was born,
followed by daughters Jan and Karen. Phil ran the family car dealership Philip B. Crosby Inc.,
Dodge-Plymouth, for many years before hitting his stride as a school administrator, including
principalships and superintendency for rural school districts in Jonesport, Island Falls, and
Harmony, Maine. During his career in education he also taught at Stearns High School, serving
there as Department Chairman and coaching the boys ski team to the Class D championship. He
was appointed President of the Washington County Principals Association and, later, President
of the Aroostook County Principals Association and also was a CEED instructor at Husson
College and an Apprenticeship instructor at Great Northern Paper Co.
Phil had an amazing love for his home community and dedicated many years to helping Belfast
be a better place to live. He served on the MSAD No. 34 Board of Directors, which oversaw the
building of Belfast Area High School in the 1960's. While serving as Chair of the Board, he
championed the construction of the high school swimming pool, so all kids in his seaside town
and in the area could learn to swim. And in the 1970s, Phil led a group of local fathers to cut,
clear, and groom the three trails that became El Depot Ski Slope to provide local children a place
to ski and learn to ski. He named it “El Depot,” a Spanish word for gathering places.
Phil’s commitment to his community extended to local government as a past Belfast city
councilor who always took the time to listen to local citizens and ensured that the City served
them. He also served as chair of the Belfast Planning Board. Further, he was an active member
of the Lions Club and past president, and participated in many community service projects into
his eighties. He was a trustee of The First Church. And he devoted time to the Deborah Lincoln
House, serving as a board member and acting as an interim manager. He became famous for
taking the resident ladies out for drives in his Model T, a very popular outing for them.
Phil had many interests and continually pursued new projects throughout his life. As a teenager
he rebuilt a Model T, turning it into the legendary Leaping Lena, a bucking and water spouting
crowd pleaser at the Broiler Festival Parade and many area parades over the years, eventually
donating it to the City of Belfast. He restored many vehicles over the years, one of his final
projects being another Model T in which he loved to give rides to family and his grand and great
grandchildren. He built the beloved family camp, an A-frame, on Pitcher Pond.
In his retirement, Phil and Judy enjoyed many happy years of travel, traveling in Europe four
times and to Mexico, as well as visiting 26 Caribbean Islands; among these travels were many
visits to their beloved Puerto Rico. Phil was a "Civil War Buff" belonging to local Civil War
Roundtable groups and making many trips to follow the Civil War trail with Judy. Phil was a
social guy and will long be remembered for his love of family and friends, including his Zoom
Coffee Crowd buddies and Saturday morning coffees at Weaver's Roadside.
Phil is survived by his three daughters, Jayne Crosby Giles and husband Mike, Jan Banks and
fiance Lou Dublin, and Karen Mehorter and husband Sam; four grandchildren, Loring Giles and
partner Kristen Seaman, Mallory Harnden and husband Ryan, Claire Banks and fiance Bradley
Gee, and James Mehorter and wife Jessica; four great-grandchildren, Randall and Regan
Harnden, and Kalliope and Jasper Mehorter; cousins Jeffrey Pearson and Debra Bryant; a sister-
in-law Linda Collins and her husband Terry, and two nephews, Timothy Collins and wife Susan
and family, and Andrew Collins, all of Rockport, MA.
A celebration of life service will be held on Friday, September 2, 2022, at 11 a.m., at the First
Church in Belfast UCC. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Waldo
County YMCA, 157 Waldo Avenue, Belfast, Maine 04915, or The First Church in Belfast UCC,
8 Court Street, Belfast, Maine 04915.
Condolences may be shared at www.longfuneralhomecamden.com. Arrangements are with the
Long Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 9 Mountain Street, Camden.
Phil was born April 20, 1931, the son of Philip Barker Crosby, Sr. and Bernice (Chellis) Crosby,
in Belfast, Maine.
Phil grew up in Belfast and graduated from Crosby High School in 1949, a well lettered-athlete
and president of his class. Phil graduated from Tufts University with a BA in Economics, and in
later years earned his Masters in Guidance at University of Southern Maine, Certificate of
Advanced Studies in School Administration at the University of Maine, and Superintendent of
Schools Certification.
Phil was devoted to his wife Judy to whom he was married for 67 years. They met while he was
a student at Tufts University, married in 1955 in San Juan, Puerto Rico when he was stationed
there in the US Army, and returned to Belfast where their first daughter Jayne was born,
followed by daughters Jan and Karen. Phil ran the family car dealership Philip B. Crosby Inc.,
Dodge-Plymouth, for many years before hitting his stride as a school administrator, including
principalships and superintendency for rural school districts in Jonesport, Island Falls, and
Harmony, Maine. During his career in education he also taught at Stearns High School, serving
there as Department Chairman and coaching the boys ski team to the Class D championship. He
was appointed President of the Washington County Principals Association and, later, President
of the Aroostook County Principals Association and also was a CEED instructor at Husson
College and an Apprenticeship instructor at Great Northern Paper Co.
Phil had an amazing love for his home community and dedicated many years to helping Belfast
be a better place to live. He served on the MSAD No. 34 Board of Directors, which oversaw the
building of Belfast Area High School in the 1960's. While serving as Chair of the Board, he
championed the construction of the high school swimming pool, so all kids in his seaside town
and in the area could learn to swim. And in the 1970s, Phil led a group of local fathers to cut,
clear, and groom the three trails that became El Depot Ski Slope to provide local children a place
to ski and learn to ski. He named it “El Depot,” a Spanish word for gathering places.
Phil’s commitment to his community extended to local government as a past Belfast city
councilor who always took the time to listen to local citizens and ensured that the City served
them. He also served as chair of the Belfast Planning Board. Further, he was an active member
of the Lions Club and past president, and participated in many community service projects into
his eighties. He was a trustee of The First Church. And he devoted time to the Deborah Lincoln
House, serving as a board member and acting as an interim manager. He became famous for
taking the resident ladies out for drives in his Model T, a very popular outing for them.
Phil had many interests and continually pursued new projects throughout his life. As a teenager
he rebuilt a Model T, turning it into the legendary Leaping Lena, a bucking and water spouting
crowd pleaser at the Broiler Festival Parade and many area parades over the years, eventually
donating it to the City of Belfast. He restored many vehicles over the years, one of his final
projects being another Model T in which he loved to give rides to family and his grand and great
grandchildren. He built the beloved family camp, an A-frame, on Pitcher Pond.
In his retirement, Phil and Judy enjoyed many happy years of travel, traveling in Europe four
times and to Mexico, as well as visiting 26 Caribbean Islands; among these travels were many
visits to their beloved Puerto Rico. Phil was a "Civil War Buff" belonging to local Civil War
Roundtable groups and making many trips to follow the Civil War trail with Judy. Phil was a
social guy and will long be remembered for his love of family and friends, including his Zoom
Coffee Crowd buddies and Saturday morning coffees at Weaver's Roadside.
Phil is survived by his three daughters, Jayne Crosby Giles and husband Mike, Jan Banks and
fiance Lou Dublin, and Karen Mehorter and husband Sam; four grandchildren, Loring Giles and
partner Kristen Seaman, Mallory Harnden and husband Ryan, Claire Banks and fiance Bradley
Gee, and James Mehorter and wife Jessica; four great-grandchildren, Randall and Regan
Harnden, and Kalliope and Jasper Mehorter; cousins Jeffrey Pearson and Debra Bryant; a sister-
in-law Linda Collins and her husband Terry, and two nephews, Timothy Collins and wife Susan
and family, and Andrew Collins, all of Rockport, MA.
A celebration of life service will be held on Friday, September 2, 2022, at 11 a.m., at the First
Church in Belfast UCC. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Waldo
County YMCA, 157 Waldo Avenue, Belfast, Maine 04915, or The First Church in Belfast UCC,
8 Court Street, Belfast, Maine 04915.
Condolences may be shared at www.longfuneralhomecamden.com. Arrangements are with the
Long Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 9 Mountain Street, Camden.