Harry Dean Crowther died unexpectedly as a result of a fall at his home on Bedford Road in Carlisle on October 7, 2024 at the age of 77. Harry was born in Riverton, NJ on January 31, 1947, and grew up in Brighton, NY a suburb of Rochester.
Harry was the son of Elizabeth (Knight) Crowther and Harry Jesse Crowther. He is survived by his wife, Maxine Crowther; children Molly and Ian Crowther and Ian’s partner Moriah Simmons; his sister Christine Crowther Stockton and brother-in-law Jim Stockton and their children and grandchildren.
Harry graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York in 1968 with a degree in Physics, for which he’d developed an early passion in high school. He also studied literature, and continued to cultivate a lifelong interest in both subjects. He met Maxine Schiffmann while studying at RPI in February 1968, and they were married in 1970.
After graduation, Harry joined the US Army in 1968 and was stationed at Fort Meade for training in 1969. He was then stationed at Fort Devens as a computer logic instructor and was honorably discharged in 1973. He was hired at Digital Equipment Corporation in 1974, where he spent most of his career as a programmer, a job he loved and always remembered fondly. He installed inventory software at DEC field offices, allowing him to travel internationally. He always enjoyed the challenge of writing software simply and efficiently for complex applications, making it easier to use and maintain. He worked as a computer programmer and team leader until 1993.
Harry and Maxine moved to Carlisle in 1978 where they started a family in 1982. After leaving DEC in 1993, Harry found opportunities to serve his local community. He was a regular volunteer at Gleason Public Library in Carlisle and Emerson Hospital Library in Concord, where he continued to volunteer for the rest of his life. He also volunteered at the Carlisle Public School teaching educational programming to students. He served on the Concord-Carlisle Regional School Committee from 1998–2000. He worked at Electronic Data Systems in Maynard from 2001–2003.
As well as his interest in physics and reading, Harry was a devotee of classical music. He and Maxine were regular attendees of concerts at Tanglewood. He instilled in his children his values of curiosity, education, and community service.
Harry’s family wishes to thank the Carlisle Police, Fire, & EMTs for their heroic efforts, and to thank friends and neighbors in Carlisle for their kindness.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions in Harry’s memory be made to charities which provide access to education and medical care.
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