Philip Crane

1927 - 2015

Philip Amos Crane, Jr.

February 16, 1927 - August 10, 2015

Philip Amos Crane, Jr. was born in Chicago on February 16, 1927 and passed away at home in San Diego on August 10, 2015. Raised in Hinsdale, Illinois, Phil summered in Inverness, California with his parents, Philip and Helen, siblings Bruce (predeceased) and Barbara (surviving), and their feisty pit bull, Tippy. He met his loving and spirited wife of 64 years Rosemary Pratt, who predeceased Phil on March 1, 2015, while they were both undergraduates at The University of California, Berkeley. He earned his law degree from the Boalt School of Law and went on to serve as Assistant General Counsel for Pacific Gas and Electric in San Francisco. Phil was a veteran of World War II in the Pacific theater and active in both the Bohemian and Olympic Clubs of San Francisco. He was also a member of the Marin Republican Counsel.

Together, he and Rosemary raised and are survived by five children: Philip Amos (Monte) Crane III, Sarah Crane, Jeffrey (Susan) Crane, Nancy (Michael) Montana, and Charles Crane. He is also survived by seven grandchildren and three great granddaughters.

Phil had an insatiable appetite for the written word and news events. Known for his accurate wit and keen sense of humor, many of his table or fireside stories would end with a well timed punch line and his warm, infectious laughter. "Here's to the Last Supper!" was one of Phil's standard toasts during a final meal of a vacation or the eve of a family member embarking on a trip. To honor both Phil and Rosemary, the family will celebrate their lives with a ceremony and Â'Last Supper' in October.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to the Nature Conservancy of California, or to the Boalt Hall Fund, Boalt Hall Alumni Center, University of California, Berkeley.