Hildegarde C. Crowley

Hildegarde Charlotte Crowley, 73, of Phoenix passed away on February 27, 2008. She is survived by her four sons, Patrick Crowley and wife Amy Crowley of Scottsdale, Michael Crowley of Phoenix, Terrence Crowley and wife Jennifer Crowley of Glendale and Thomas Crowley Jr. of Phoenix. She is also survived by her five grandchildren Ashley, Jackson, Alyssa, Jeffrey and Joshua. She also leaves behind her sisters Vivienne, Jean and Helen. Hildegarde was born on January 7, 1935 and has been a lifelong resident of Arizona. She was a catholic nun in the Immaculate Heart Order until age 27. During this time she taught grade school and there are many Phoenix residents which remember Sister Charlotte as their grade school teacher. In 1967 Hildegarde married Thomas Crowley and started their family right away. As a mother of four boys Hildegarde was very active in the community with sports, school activities and church. It was not uncommon to see Hildegarde leading the cheerleading squad for her sons Pop Warner football teams or dressing up in festive fashion to celebrate every holiday with her children. Once Hildegarde’s boys were well into school she started a job in the Smitty’s bakery on 43rd Ave and McDowell. It was in this position that Hildegarde’s zest for life and impact in the community was truly noticed. Hildegarde just didn’t work at Smitty’s, she became known in the community as the “cake lady” where she brightened many lives in small ways every day. No one knew what St. Patrick’s day could be until they saw her in action in full Irish Lass attire working her magic! Hildegrade just didn’t attend parades, she literally became a part of them! Her strong Christian faith was a tremendous source of inspiration for all those who watched her fight health issues in the last few years. The lessons of Hildegarde’s passion for life and strength of spirit will never be forgotten! Visitation will be from 5-8 P.M., with Rosary at 7 P.M., Tuesday, March 4th at Whitney & Murphy Funeral Home, 4800 E. Indian School Rd. Funeral celebration will be at La Casa de Cristo Lutheran Church, 6300 E. Bell Rd. in Scottsdale, AZ 85254 on March 5th at 10:00A.M. with interment following at St. Francis Cemetery. Family requests donations to La Casa de Cristo Memorial Fund.