Lucy M. Bartlett Crosbie

Lucy May Bartlett Crosbie, president of the Chronicle Printing Co., great-granddaughter of its founder, John A. McDonald, passed away after a short illness at Windham Hospital on January 1, 2012. Born in Willimantic on May 24, 1929, the daughter of George Donald Bartlett and Teresa (Shea) Bartlett, she was the widow of Arthur W. Crosbie, who died on September 23, 1976. She is survived by her son Vincent B. Crosbie and his fiance Emma Rodriguez Suarez of Stamford, CT; her son Kevin Crosbie, her daughter-in-law Patrice Crosbie of Willimantic, and three grandchildren, Caroline Mary Louise Crosbie, Meredith Ann Marie Crosbie, and Arthur Bartlett William Crosbie of Willimantic; a sister, Joan Fraser and her husband, Robert, of Somers, Montana; a nephew and three nieces. A graduate of Natchaug Grammar School in Willimantic, and Dean Academy in Franklin, Mass., she received a B.S. degree from the Boston University School of Management in 1951. She was the fourth generation of her family to serve as publisher of the Chronicle, having succeeded her father, G. Donald Bartlett, her grandfather, George Bartlett, and her great-grandfather, John A. McDonald, who started the newspaper in 1877. Lucy Crosbie was the publisher from 1954 to 1992, when she was succeeded by her son, Kevin. Mrs. Crosbie was president of the Chronicle Printing Co. from 1954 until 2011. Lucy Crosbie had an almost encyclopedic knowledge of local history and events, a clear, concise style of writing and a sharp and quick sense of humor. Over the years, she wrote thousands of editorials and articles for the newspaper, and was known for her vigorous support of efforts to benefit the civic and economic life of the community. No worthy cause went unaided if she could be of help. Many of her charitable donations were given anonymously. Mrs. Crosbie had a long and distinguished career of service in local and area civic and professional organizations. She was the first woman to serve as president of each of the following: The New England Daily Newspaper Association, The Connecticut Daily Newspaper Association, The Connecticut Editorial Association, The United Press Newspapers of Connecticut. Mrs. Crosbie was a former chairman of the Eastern Connecticut State University Foundation, past president and a founding member of the Windham Historical Society, and a corporator of Windham Hospital. She had served as a member of the board of directors of: the Connecticut Tuberculosis and Health Association, the Connecticut Child Welfare Association, Eastern Connecticut Public Television, Mansfield State Training School Foundation, the Eastern Connecticut Foundation for Charitable Giving, the Quiet Corner Visitors and Tourist District, Eastern Connecticut Board of Opera of New England, the Salvation Army, Connecticut Literacy Volunteers, the Willimantic Chapter of the Red Cross, the Eastern Connecticut Visiting Nurse Association, the Eastern Connecticut Advisory Board of The Connecticut Bank and Trust Co. Mrs. Crosbie served as a member of The Town of Windham Bicentennial Commission of the American Revolution in 1976, and The Town of Windham Tercentennial Committee in 1992. She was the recipient of the first Athena Award given by the Greater Willimantic Chamber of Commerce. She was a member of the Annie Wood Elderkin Chapter of The Daughters of The American Revolution as a descendant of Capt. Delano Pierce, a native of Plainfield, who was the great-grandfather of her great-grandmother, Vera Bartlett McDonald. Mrs. Crosbie was a member of St. Joseph Church in Willimantic. A resident of Columbia, she has had a summer home at Groton Long Point for many years. Calling hours will be from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, January 5th at Potter Funeral Home, 456 Jackson St., (Rte. 195), Willimantic. Her Funeral Mass will be held on Friday at St. Joseph Church, 99 Jackson St., Willimantic, at 10:00am. Interment in Old Willimantic Cemetery will be at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to St. Joseph Church Building Fund, 99 Jackson St., Willimantic, CT 06226. For an online memorial guestbook and directions to the funeral home, please visit www.potterfuneralhome.com .