Travis Cronshey

1942 - 2021

Travis Cronshey

Reading, VT — Travis died on May 21, 2021, at his home in Reading, Vermont. Born on February 11, 1942, in Somerville, NJ, Travis was raised in Fairmount and later Long Valley, NJ. After he graduated from West Morris Central High School and Rutgers University, Travis moved to Woodstock and, most recently, Reading, where he was a stonemason contractor for the majority of his career.

Most everyone knew Travis, at least by sight. Six foot six, a genial bear of a man with a ready smile, quick wit, always on the go but never too busy to help a friend or stop for a chat. Most knew him as an immensely talented stonemason and craftsman who would routinely carry 100-pound hods of "mud" up rickety wooden ladders or lug massive stone into place onto walls and foundations. He was also a skilled carpenter, having built his home in Reading and recently helped to construct the covered bridge you see on the west side of Route 106 in Hammondsville. Lesser known was Travis' foray into high school teaching. Shortly after graduating from Rutgers, he taught one year at Woodstock Union High School, a year that included teaching history to future Vermont Supreme Court Justice Harold "Duke" Eaton, who claims that the antics and irreverence of he and his classmates were what drove Travis out of academia forever. Most likely true.

Travis knew how to have a good time, and his seemingly quiet laid back nature would often be betrayed by his smirking irreverent humor, his prankish joking, and barreling contagious laugh. He was the instigator of many an adventure, and his friends recall being happily seduced into joining him on various unplanned eventful outings. He always looked forward to deer camp and bear camp, not so much for the hunting (the deer and bear were quite safe, in fact Travis was known to come for the week without his rifle) but for just being in the woods, playing cards and swapping highly embellished stories. Travis never declined an invitation to go snowmobiling, was an ace at darts, and played a mean game of cribbage ... $2.00 a game ... and could be found every Wednesday evening playing "Double King Pede" with a group of close friends.

Trav also loved to go jeeping with his buddies along the Class 4 and lesser routes of Windsor County, often ending up at such out-of-the-way places as the Brown School House in Reading, the remains of the deserted village at Plymouth Five Corners, or sometimes intended or unintended destinations even more remote. Those with good memories will also recall Travis as a golfer with booming drives and constant good humor, and yet golf was a game that gave up on him one day after losing a battle with a fir tree that had managed to bend his five iron into a U shaped bow. He was also a stalwart member of Nelson Holt's softball team, perennial champions of the then-popular local leagues that thrived on intense competition and passionate post-game celebration.

Above all, Travis was a very best friend to many. He was hugely respected, not just for his hard work ethic and caring expertise in all he did, but much more for the fact that beyond that uproarious laugh and gentle ribbing, there was a massively intelligent and well-read renaissance man, a person who would happily do anything for you, and as honorable, ethical, caring, and loving a person as you will ever have the privilege to know. He is sorely missed by his relatives, his many friends, and especially by his son, Gavin, and his long-time love and partner Bo Gibbs.

Travis is predeceased by his father, Keith Cronshey, his mother, Grace Cronshey, and two sons Ethan Cronshey and Keith Cronshey. He is survived by his son Gavin Cronshey and his spouse, Jessica Allan Cronshey, and his grandaughters Nico and Sloan Cronshey of Tahoe City, CA; his sisters, Rae Hoffman of Long Valley, NJ and Pamela Kelly and her spouse Tom Kelly of Philadelphia, PA. He also leaves behind several nieces and nephews.

At Travis' request, there are no plans for a service, but please take a moment to think of him kindly.

An online guest book can be found at cabotfh.com