Donald Patrick Crosby

Donald P. “Pat” Crosby passed away peacefully on February 3, 2025, at the age of 97. Pat was born in Carlinville, Illinois on October 2, 1927, to John and Laura Crosby; he was the youngest of seven children.  In 1945 he graduated from Carlinville High. Allegedly, he walked 1 ¼ miles to school in the snow!  After high school graduation, Pat enlisted in the Navy as a Seaman First Class, as a result of his high performance on the EDDY exam.  He was assigned to the USS GUADALUPE AO 32.  Pat expressed that this was a very scary time for a young man who had no idea as to what was really going on in the world.  He noted that it was not clear to him if the USA was going to win the war and occupation by a foreign power was always on his mind. In 1946, he was discharged from the Navy and enrolled in University of Illinois as an Electrical Engineering major. He quickly switched to Ceramic Engineering when he learned that there were 2 graduates with 450 job offers.  Pat graduated in 1950 with BS in Ceramic Engineering and was employed by Harbison Walker Refractories Company in Fulton, Missouri. In 1955 he received his Professional Engineering license.

Pat married Maurine Waters Bollinger in June 1954. Together they had two children: David Allen Crosby and Susan Crosby Partington (Mike).  In 1959 he was transferred from Fulton to Jackson CA to manage the Ione plant and then in 1964, Pat was transferred to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to oversee quality control of the Pittsburgh plant.   With Maurine longing to return to California, he accepted a position with Interpace Corporation to manage five clay operations in Ione.  After a stint at Interpace, he moved into Tile and Brick Consulting and began to operate Lizzie Ann’s Antiques and Gifts with Maurine. They ran Lizzie Ann’s, The Bubble Gum Book Store and various combinations of the two for 42 years.

Pat was a long time Rotarian and recipient of the Paul Harris Fellow Awards; one of the highest awards a Rotarian can receive.  He served as the club’s President in 1974 and he started the Rotary Wine Booth at the Amador County Fair during his term. In the mid 1970’s he created the Sutter Creek Business and Professional Organization.  He served two terms on the Sutter Creek City Council with longtime friend Ed Swift; and is believed to have attended more city council meetings than anyone in city history.  He was fondly referred as Sutter Creek’s unofficial mayor. He ran the Golden Chain council for several years.  The council was founded to promote Gold Country Commerce by publicizing the historical wealth on the Golden Chain Map.

Pat is survived by his daughter Sue: grandchildren, Brian, Kale (Andrea), Alani (Mark), Ian (Alex) Lindsey (Jack), Layne and 8 great-grandchildren.  He was preceded in death by his wife, Maurine and son, David. Interment will be 12:00 pm on March 1, 2025, at Sunset View Cemetery 10200 Highway 88, Jackson CA.  A celebration of life for Pat and Dave will follow at Hotel Sutter, 53 Main Street. Sutter Creek CA, from 1-4pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Jackson Rotary Club, PO Box 1117, Jackson CA 95642.