Obituary for Barry Steven Crafts
Loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather
Barry S. Crafts, age 87, a longtime resident of Chelmsford, passed away peacefully in his home on Friday morning, April 2, 2021 surrounded by his family. He was predeceased by his beloved wife Helen Florence (Ross) Crafts with whom he celebrated 55 years of marriage before she passed in April of 2013.
Barry was born in Guilford, Maine on September 27, 1933. He was the son of the late Clair Reed Crafts and Lelia Elvira (McPheters) Crafts. He was predeceased by his brothers Herbert and Evans, and his sister Joy (Crafts) Early. After spending his first eight years of schooling in a one-room schoolhouse in Sangerville, Maine, Barry graduated from Piscataquis Regional High School in Guilford, Maine and went on to study Agricultural Engineering at the University of Maine in Orono. Barry graduated in 1955, and then spent one year in the Maine National Guard learning to fly jet aircraft in San Antonio, Texas.
Barry started HVAC Controls, Inc. in 1976 after working for Johnson Controls in Cambridge, MA for 20 years. He was the first person in the local area to start and operate an independent temperature control company. He was actively involved with the Boston Chapter of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers and served as its president in 1976. He retired in 1998.
Barry was baptized into the Catholic faith at the Easter Vigil in 1991. He has been a faithful parishioner of St. Mary's since that time and could regularly be seen at the 9:00 AM Sunday Mass along with his wife, Helen, and daughter, Karen.
Dad loved to work outdoors and often earned high praise about his “pristine” lawn and gardens. He was an avid golfer and a long-time member of Nabnasset Lake Country Club. Barry also spent countless hours attending his grandchildren’s musical, artistic and sporting events. Some of dad’s most favorite moments were spent at his beach house in York, Maine with his family where he passed on the tradition of churning homemade ice-cream (“keep it at 60 RPM”) on the back deck to his grandchildren, boogie-boarding in the waves, and playing rounds of Whist at the kitchen table (“don’t let anyone take it for two”).
In 2013, he fulfilled a lifelong dream of skydiving at the age of eighty years old (“if George Bush can do it, so can I”). He talked with pride about this for many years afterwards. To him, the greatest part of the jump was to have “three generations in the air at the same time”, as he was joined by two daughters and three grandchildren.
In 2016, at the urging of his grandchildren, dad recounted his life experiences and published a book about his life. Titled “From the Outhouse to the Beach House”, the book traces his life from growing up in very hard conditions in rural Maine and what it took for him to become a successful family and businessman.
Dad dedicated six years of his life to caring for his wife, Helen, as she suffered from dementia. After watching dad’s selfless devotion to keeping our mom comfortable at home, our family decided to make the same commitment to him. This would not have been possible without the loving care provided to him by our caregivers Judy O’Connor, Ari Parker, Nancy Morton, Jeanna Rodriguez, and Sandra Nokbu who were much more than caregivers to both dad and to us. Thank you also to Visiting Angels who helped provide care. The family would like to extend a special thank you to Merrimack Valley Hospice for their support during dad’s final weeks.
Barry is survived by his six children including Kathleen O’Neill of Westford, MA, Brian Crafts of Chelmsford, MA, Nancy Lindbom and her husband Peter of Ogunquit, ME, Carol Wilson and her husband Edward of Chelmsford, MA, Karen Crafts of Chelmsford, MA and Stephen Crafts of Tewksbury, MA, and daughter-in-law Ann Marie Crafts of Chelmsford, MA.
Grampa loved spending time playing pool, target shooting, and watching the Patriots and Red Sox, often in the company of one or more of his fourteen grandchildren: Kelleigh (O’Neill) Jeralds and her husband BJ, Tricia O’Neill, Rebecca O’Neill, Erin Crafts and her husband Nicholas Tucker, Michael Crafts and his wife Dr. Lauren (Scheidler) Crafts, LCDR Jeffrey Lindbom and his wife Alicia, Major Katherine (Lindbom) Guthrie and her husband Major Pierce Guthrie, George Lindbom, Eric Lindbom, Hayley Wilson and her fiancé Sara Koppelkam, Teddy Wilson, Sean Wilson, Jackson Crafts and Jessica Crafts. He also is the proud great-grandfather to Lelia, Hannah and Ryan Guthrie of San Clemente California and Brendan Tucker of Arlington, MA.
Visiting hours will be held on Thursday, April 8, 2021 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at BLAKE CHELMSFORD FUNERAL HOME, 24 Worthen St., CHELMSFORD. Due to gathering limitations, funeral services and interment will be held privately. You are kindly invited to view the Mass of Christian Burial live on Friday, April 9, 2021 at 11:00 AM. Please visit chelmsfordcatholic.org, click on WATCH VIA LIVEVIEW https://chelmsfordcatholic.org/watch-via-livestream, then WATCH ST. MARY LIVEVIEW at the time of the service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to RARA, https://www.raraagency.org, which benefits adults with special needs. Funeral Director Paul A. Hardy, Jr. For directions and online guestbook, visit CHELMSFORDFUNERALHOME.COM.
Barry S. Crafts, age 87, a longtime resident of Chelmsford, passed away peacefully in his home on Friday morning, April 2, 2021 surrounded by his family. He was predeceased by his beloved wife Helen Florence (Ross) Crafts with whom he celebrated 55 years of marriage before she passed in April of 2013.
Barry was born in Guilford, Maine on September 27, 1933. He was the son of the late Clair Reed Crafts and Lelia Elvira (McPheters) Crafts. He was predeceased by his brothers Herbert and Evans, and his sister Joy (Crafts) Early. After spending his first eight years of schooling in a one-room schoolhouse in Sangerville, Maine, Barry graduated from Piscataquis Regional High School in Guilford, Maine and went on to study Agricultural Engineering at the University of Maine in Orono. Barry graduated in 1955, and then spent one year in the Maine National Guard learning to fly jet aircraft in San Antonio, Texas.
Barry started HVAC Controls, Inc. in 1976 after working for Johnson Controls in Cambridge, MA for 20 years. He was the first person in the local area to start and operate an independent temperature control company. He was actively involved with the Boston Chapter of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers and served as its president in 1976. He retired in 1998.
Barry was baptized into the Catholic faith at the Easter Vigil in 1991. He has been a faithful parishioner of St. Mary's since that time and could regularly be seen at the 9:00 AM Sunday Mass along with his wife, Helen, and daughter, Karen.
Dad loved to work outdoors and often earned high praise about his “pristine” lawn and gardens. He was an avid golfer and a long-time member of Nabnasset Lake Country Club. Barry also spent countless hours attending his grandchildren’s musical, artistic and sporting events. Some of dad’s most favorite moments were spent at his beach house in York, Maine with his family where he passed on the tradition of churning homemade ice-cream (“keep it at 60 RPM”) on the back deck to his grandchildren, boogie-boarding in the waves, and playing rounds of Whist at the kitchen table (“don’t let anyone take it for two”).
In 2013, he fulfilled a lifelong dream of skydiving at the age of eighty years old (“if George Bush can do it, so can I”). He talked with pride about this for many years afterwards. To him, the greatest part of the jump was to have “three generations in the air at the same time”, as he was joined by two daughters and three grandchildren.
In 2016, at the urging of his grandchildren, dad recounted his life experiences and published a book about his life. Titled “From the Outhouse to the Beach House”, the book traces his life from growing up in very hard conditions in rural Maine and what it took for him to become a successful family and businessman.
Dad dedicated six years of his life to caring for his wife, Helen, as she suffered from dementia. After watching dad’s selfless devotion to keeping our mom comfortable at home, our family decided to make the same commitment to him. This would not have been possible without the loving care provided to him by our caregivers Judy O’Connor, Ari Parker, Nancy Morton, Jeanna Rodriguez, and Sandra Nokbu who were much more than caregivers to both dad and to us. Thank you also to Visiting Angels who helped provide care. The family would like to extend a special thank you to Merrimack Valley Hospice for their support during dad’s final weeks.
Barry is survived by his six children including Kathleen O’Neill of Westford, MA, Brian Crafts of Chelmsford, MA, Nancy Lindbom and her husband Peter of Ogunquit, ME, Carol Wilson and her husband Edward of Chelmsford, MA, Karen Crafts of Chelmsford, MA and Stephen Crafts of Tewksbury, MA, and daughter-in-law Ann Marie Crafts of Chelmsford, MA.
Grampa loved spending time playing pool, target shooting, and watching the Patriots and Red Sox, often in the company of one or more of his fourteen grandchildren: Kelleigh (O’Neill) Jeralds and her husband BJ, Tricia O’Neill, Rebecca O’Neill, Erin Crafts and her husband Nicholas Tucker, Michael Crafts and his wife Dr. Lauren (Scheidler) Crafts, LCDR Jeffrey Lindbom and his wife Alicia, Major Katherine (Lindbom) Guthrie and her husband Major Pierce Guthrie, George Lindbom, Eric Lindbom, Hayley Wilson and her fiancé Sara Koppelkam, Teddy Wilson, Sean Wilson, Jackson Crafts and Jessica Crafts. He also is the proud great-grandfather to Lelia, Hannah and Ryan Guthrie of San Clemente California and Brendan Tucker of Arlington, MA.
Visiting hours will be held on Thursday, April 8, 2021 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at BLAKE CHELMSFORD FUNERAL HOME, 24 Worthen St., CHELMSFORD. Due to gathering limitations, funeral services and interment will be held privately. You are kindly invited to view the Mass of Christian Burial live on Friday, April 9, 2021 at 11:00 AM. Please visit chelmsfordcatholic.org, click on WATCH VIA LIVEVIEW https://chelmsfordcatholic.org/watch-via-livestream, then WATCH ST. MARY LIVEVIEW at the time of the service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to RARA, https://www.raraagency.org, which benefits adults with special needs. Funeral Director Paul A. Hardy, Jr. For directions and online guestbook, visit CHELMSFORDFUNERALHOME.COM.