December 14, 2010
John D. Crocker
John D. Crocker
DELHI _ John D. Crocker, 95, passed away on Monday, Dec. 13, 2010, after having a long and fulfilling life.
He was born in Macedon, Wayne County, on April 20, 1915, the son of George E. Crocker and Mary (DeReu) Crocker.
He graduated as valedictorian from Macedon High School. He graduated from Brown University in 1937, with final honors in history. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the national honor society.
Entering the United States Army in September of 1941, before Pearl Harbor, he graduated from Officers Candidate School and was assigned to Camp Hood, Texas, where the tank destroyer forces were being trained and activated. He served in the European Theater as a company commander in the 648th Tank Destroyer Battalion and participated in the Rhineland and Central Europe campaigns, including the capture of Saarbrucken and the encirclement of the Ruhr.
He graduated from Cornell Law School in 1947, and entered state government as a law assistant in the office of Governor Thomas E. Dewey.
Recalled to active military service during the Korean War, he served in the Judge Advocate Generals Corps as a military lawyer in Pusan and on Kojedo Island.
From 1955 to 1993, he practiced law in Delaware County as a partner in the law firm of Rushmore, Mason, Marcus and Crocker, with offices in Stamford and Delhi.
He was married to Arline M. Brower on Jan. 2, 1943, at Belton, Texas. She predeceased him on Feb. 21, 1999.
Surviving are two daughters, Anne Crocker Sosiak of Weston, Fla., and Amy Crocker Rossetti of Birdsboro, Pa.; and his three granddaughters.
He was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Cannon Free Library for many years and served as president. He was a life member of the Delaware County Historical Association and a past commander of the Donald W. Gleason Post of the American Legion.
A private burial will take place in the spring.
Contributions in his memory may be made to the Cannon Free Library or the Delaware County Historical Association.
