Robert B. Crowninshield
Robert Blair Crowninshield, 74Korean, Vietnam War vet; postal service mail
handler SANDWICH - Robert Blair Crowninshield, 74, died Thursday, Nov. 17 2005, at his home
after a long illness. He was the husband of Virginia May (Ripley) Crowninshield for 49 years.
Mr. Crowninshield was born in North Dighton and attended Coyle High School in Taunton. After
graduation he joined the Coast Guard at the beginning of the Korean War in 1950. He served as a
hospital corpsman on the USCGC Eastwind during polar operations, in which the ship came within 400
miles of the North Pole, a record for an icebreaker at that time. He also flew over the South Pole
during his military service. He served as a Coast Guard lighthouse keeper in Rhode Island,
Maine and Massachusetts and on the USCGC Frederick Lee. After service in the Coast Guard, Mr.
Crowninshield joined the Air Force, serving in the Strategic Air Command for three tours in Taiwan
and Thailand during the Vietnam War. Later, he had several stateside postings before retiring in
1972. Upon retirement, he returned with his family to Taunton and worked as a jeweler at
Homer's Jewelry. He also served as executive director for the Attleboro Area Council on
Alcoholism. In 1978 he became a postal service mail handler and Local 301 shop steward. He
retired in 1999 after 21 years of service, with a combined 44 years of service to his country.
He was a decorated member of the Disabled Veterans of America and a direct descendant member of
the Mayflower Society. He was also a published author, voracious reader, amateur photographer
and global Internet correspondent. Besides his wife, survivors include a sister, Joan
Anderson; two daughters, Martha O'Brien, and Andrea Sturdevant; four sons, Timothy, Shawn,
Patrick, and John; 10 grandchildren, including Christopher Crowninshield who resided in his home
for several years; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. A brief graveside service with
military honors will be at 11 a.m. Nov. 30 in Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne. A
memorial service will follow at the Air Force Recreational Center on Otis ANG Base. Passes to the
base will be available at the service or through the family. Memorial donations may be made to
Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, 1332 North Halsted Street, Suite 201, Chicago, IL
60622.***********It is with a heavy heart I post the passing of my Father-in-Law. Although he
retired from the Air Force, many times over the years he stated that if he had a chance to do it
all over again he would have stayed in the Coast Guard.***********
11/25/05 Submitted by: Lawrence E. O'Brien, EMC, USCG, ret.
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