Catherine M. Crawley

Obituary of Catherine M. Crawley

Catherine "Cathy" M. Crawley of Freehold passed away peacefully on Saturday, December 27, 2025, after months of attempting to recover from several health obstacles. Her fighting spirit persisted through the moment of her passing, where she was surrounded by family and coworkers. She is preceded in her death by her parents, Richard and Mary Ann Callery, and her beloved sister, Elizabeth "Beth" Callery McGarr.

Cathy was born to the Callery family on October 11, 1959, in Brooklyn, NY. She spent her life as a beloved wife, mother, aunt, grandmother, sister, friend, and dedicated ICU nurse at the Staten Island University Hospital. Cathy was inspired to be a nurse by her mother and her older sister, Beth. She and her sister were inseparable; they traveled together extensively, which is how Cathy met Jr. – her husband of 35 years.

Jr. and Cathy lived in Staten Island before moving to their forever home in Freehold. They hosted memorable family barbeques every summer, and their family dog was Nicky. The Crawley family of five spent their time travelling to Maine, South Carolina, Ocean City, and various campsites across the Tri-State Area in their RV.

Across all aspects of her life, Cathy was recognized for her infectious smile, warmth, generosity, and unwavering devotion to everyone she cared about. Those who met her – even for a brief moment – were immediately struck by her ability to begin a conversation with anyone about anything. Cathy will be remembered for her love of Christmas and chunky earrings, her dynamic facial expressions, her consistent use of press-on nails, and for always having sweet wine or a Diet Pepsi in hand. She will be missed so dearly.

She is survived by her husband, Howard "Jr." Crawley; her children, Matthew Crawley, Christina Crawley (Michael), and Jonathan Crawley; and a grandson, Hunter Estelle. Her brothers and sisters, Richard Callery (Barbara), MaryAnn Brennan (Jim), and Frank (Maria), will miss her dearly. Cathy was a treasured aunt to Erin Treemarcki (Anthony), Melissa Martone (Russell), James Brennan (Sarah), Daniel Callery, Michael Callery (Jen), and Linda Callery. She also had three great-nieces and nephews (Connor, Cailin, and Annette "Annie"), with two more on the way next year. Cathy will be fondly remembered by her coworkers who became her second family, her son's partners, her church community, and all of her friends.

A visitation will be held at Clayton & McGirr Funeral Home, 100 Elton-Adelphia Road (Route 524), Freehold Township on Friday, January 2, 2026 from 5:00 to 9:00 PM. Relatives and friends are invited to attend her 10:00 AM funeral service on Saturday, January 3, 2026 at the funeral home. Interment will follow in Maplewood Cemetery & Mausoleum, 169 West Main Street, Freehold Township where she will be laid to eternal rest. For information, directions, or to leave condolence messages to the family, please visit www.claytonfuneralhome.com.