Andrew Stephenson Dalgleish Crum of North Andover
Andrew died on July 21, 2010. He was born December 20th 1936 in Kingston Upon Hull, England. He was the beloved husband of Joyce K. Crum for nearly 48 years and a loving father to: Simon N. Crum (and his wife Christelle) of Vancouver, Canada; Kevin N. Crum (and his wife Amy) of Kalamazoo, MI; and Trevor R. Crum (and his wife Tracy) of Tuscon, AZ. He was a fun and loving grandfather to his grandchildren: Emma, Sebastien, Daniel and Anna. He is also survived by his sister, Lillias Bignell of London, England; his uncle, Allan Taylor, of Berwick on Tweed; cousins; his brother-in-law David Bull of Yorkshire, England; his mother-in-law, Eva Bull of Yorkshire England; five nieces and a number of great nephews and nieces also in Yorkshire England. Andrew led a full and fascinating life that took him around the world (he and Joyce were even able to hike along the Great Wall in China and visit Red Square in Russia). He grew up in Hull, England during World War II and its aftermath, playing on bombsites and collecting the shell-casings, and yet he went on to live a successful and joy-filled life. Andrew served in the British national service for two years and then received his Mechanical Engineering Degree from The University of London. He held a series of jobs which enabled him to practice the engineering that he loved. He began his career at British Aircraft as a research engineer. He worked several years as a Technical Manager for National Forge in the UK, travelling extensively and working in many European countries as well. In 1974, he and his family were transferred to Warren, PA where he was the Technical and later the General Manager of the engineering pressure system division. He was transferred eleven years later to Massachusetts where he and Joyce have lived since. In 1996, he bought the Engineered Pressure Systems Incorporated (EPSI) company (North Andover) and the Engineered Pressure Systems International (Belgium), making a great success of what had been a struggling business. Andrew was devoted to his company and the people who worked so hard with him, in the US and Belgium, to make it the thriving enterprise it is today. In addition to his love of science and engineering, he was also a lover of the arts, enjoying a wide variety of music (from classical to Abba to Broadway musicals). He was also an accomplished musician who played the piano for pleasure and the violin in the Warren County Orchestra for many years. He supported the arts in his role as co-president of the Warren County Music Boosters. He also loved literature (from Shakespeare to Bernard Cornwell) and was a member of The Warren Shakespeare Club, writing skits and performing them with Joyce. He remained fit and active throughout his life, enjoying frequent swims in the pool (no matter how cold the water was) . As a young man he played Rugby and was a member of a cycling club, once biking 176 miles in one day in Scotland. Andrew also had a wonderful sense of humor, sharing his (bad) jokes and sharp wit with his family and friends. The Crums were also famous for their elaborate Halloween displays; he embraced the American love of this holiday, creating flying skeletons and bubbling cauldrons for the neighborhood children to enjoy. His career was impressive and he loved his work, but the most important thing in his life was his family, and we—along with many others—will miss him dearly.
A funeral service will take place on Saturday , July 24, 2010 at 12:00PM at the John Breen Funeral Home.
Friends may call on Saturday morning , July 24, 2010 from 10:00AM to 12:00PM at the John Breen Memorial Funeral Home Inc. 35 Merrimack Street, North Andover, MA. 01845. For more information or to send an online condolence please go to: www.breenfuneralhome.com
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to The Pancreatic Cancer Research of Dr. Kwak at Mass General Hospital attn. Development, 165 Cambridge St. Boston, MA 02114.