Cameron Phillip CROSBY

1949 - 2023

CAMERON PHILLIP CROSBY January 23, 1949 - December 4, 2023 Surrounded by his family, Cameron "Cam" Phillip Crosby passed away on December 4, 2023, at his home in Waterloo, Ontario. Cam leaves Peggy, his wife and best friend of 50 years; and his three cherished children, Michael (Alysia), Kate (Ben) and Gary (Stacey). He will be forever missed by his grandchildren, Lucia and Anna, Liam and Alexandra, and Jacob, Kayla and Emma, who love him to the moon and back. Cam was predeceased by his parents, Geraldine (2015) and Gordon (2019); and by his brother, Gary (1971). In his early years in Don Mills, Cam showed an aptitude for sports. Tall and strong, Cam was a natural left winger in hockey and he adored being on the ice. He later told his children stories of seemingly endless practices, drills and workouts, but always with the moral that hard work pays off. Cam played for the Toronto Marlboros, winning a Memorial Cup as a Marlie in 1967. After his father acquired the Volkswagen dealership in Kitchener, Cam played for the Kitchener Rangers, becoming team captain in 1969. Cam's interest in athletics led him to study Kinesiology at the University of Waterloo, where he became a member of the 1974 CIAU Championship-winning UW hockey team. Cam maintained lifelong bonds with the 'band of brothers' on that team, and he saw them only last month when they came together to commemorate their historic win. Cam's athletic success extended beyond hockey. As a high schooler in Don Mills, Cam was the Canadian Juvenile Champion in both shot put and discus. At the University of Waterloo, he won the shot put and discus events at the OQAA Championship meet, setting new records in both. In 1993, Cam was inducted into the UW Sports Hall of Fame for his outstanding contributions to three sports: hockey, track and field, and football. Even though his father was in the car business, Cam had little interest in following that path. He knew his vocation was teaching and coaching, and he spent most of his career as a dedicated teacher, mentor and coach at Forest Glen Public School in New Hamburg, as well as a coach of minor league hockey. Cam's network of former students and athletes is legion, and he remained connected to many of them even decades later. While at Forest Glen, Cam established the Jump Rope for Heart skipping team at the school, and was awarded Volunteer of the Year by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. At 23, Cam's life changed forever with the shattering loss of his brother and best friend, Gary. After Gary's death, Cam took on the role of protector and comforter for his parents, and later, for his children. He was an active and hands-on dad who loved nothing more than teaching his kids how to throw a ball or shoot a puck (sometimes to their chagrin). Cam's family has many special memories of summers spent at Cleveland's House Resort in Muskoka. As a grandfather, Cam was the most generous and cheerleading 'Papa' around. He loved rocking his grandbabies to sleep singing lullabies, and when they were older, he wanted to hear all about their interests, from music to sports to video games. Besides his family, which was his great lifelong love, Cam had great affection for many things, including (in no particular order) the Toronto Maple Leafs (he was drafted by them in 1966), surprising his loved ones with gifts (some more useful than others), adult contemporary music (especially Anne Murray and Gordon Lightfoot), the University of Waterloo (his email signature was 'Always a Warrior'), TVs (the bigger the better), diet pop (with lots of ice), and making friends wherever he went. When they were younger, Cam's children were sometimes embarrassed by his habit of chatting to everyone he encountered. But after years of hearing from people who appreciated Cam's kindness and attention, they recognized his gift for connection. Even in his last days, Cam was eager to know what was happening in the lives of everyone who called, visited and cared for him. The family is grateful for the care Cam received from Dr. Dixon, Dr. Jewer, Dr. Jolly, Dr. Orellana, Dr. Husein, and the Palliative Care team, including Dr. Yew and Nurse Courtney, Nurse Michael, PSW Touré, Kath Rennie, the team at Grand River Hospital Dialysis Centre, and the staff of Clair Hills Retirement Home. Visitation will be held at Memory Gardens Funeral Home, 2723 Victoria St. N., Breslau, ON (519) 904-0400, on Friday, December 15th from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. Funeral service will be held in the Chapel on Saturday, December 16th at 2:00 p.m., followed by interment in Memory Gardens Cemetery with a reception to follow. If desired, donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada would be appreciated. If so desired, a book of online condolences may be signed at: memorycemetery.ca