Obituary of Gaetana E Crosby

Gaetana Errigo Crosby Gaetana Errigo Crosby, "Gae", 64, passed away Friday, May 6th, at Lourdes Hospital after a brief pulmonary illness. She was predeceased by her parents, John and Mary and is survived by her husband, John; son, J. Scott Hobbs (Melanie); stepdaughter, Kylen Anderson (Tom); stepson, John (Cindy); sisters, Roseann Lanza (Philip), Elaine Errigo Gilyard (Dennis), and Josephine Conroy; several nieces and nephews; great niece and nephew, Gianna and Philip; and the special treasures of her life, grandchildren Ellen, Elizabeth, Isak, Emma, Lauren, John Paul, and Nolan. After a successful career in banking, Gae joined IBM Owego in 1975. She retired in 1996 as a staff analyst after authoring several major quality documents and achieving recognition within the engineering community as a valuable process improvement engineer. Gae had a lifelong interest in painting and resumed her lessons at Winged Visions studios under Carrie Tornatore after her retirement. Her seascapes of Holden Beach, North Carolina earned her prominence in several shows. Gae's friendships with "the sisters of the brush" were among those most precious to her. From the late 1980s on Gae had an abiding passion in Special Olympics and all things associated with those with intellectual disabilities. She coached with the Apalachin A-Team, held multiple offices with the Broome Tioga Area Committee, and was honored at the state level on 4 different occasions. Her motor never stopped running; she went beyond sports to introduce painting and cooking to our local athletes. Her love of local history led to several terms at the helm of the Tioga County Historical Society, where she introduced and chaired "Oh Tanenbaum", now an annual Holiday showcase attraction and major fundraiser. When she left the Historical Society, she signed on with the Tioga County Council on the Arts as their chief fund raiser. Figuring this still left a few hours in the day she also joined the board of the Charles H Bassett Jr. Youth Bureau while continuing to serve on the Tioga County Youth Bureau and the Town Board of Zoning Appeals. Gae seldom saw a cause that was not worth supporting with cheerful enthusiasm. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to help support Gae's causes can make donations to Broome Tioga Special Olympics c/o Theresa Avason, 1 Walnut Place, Apalachin, NY 13732 or Tioga County Council on the Arts, 197 Front St., Owego, NY 13872. Funeral Arrangements are being handled by Coleman and Daniels, 765 Main St., Vestal. Viewing hours are 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, May 13. Funeral Services will be held Saturday, May 14, at 11:00 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, 111 Temple St., Owego.