Conway, MA – John M. Crowley, 83, of Conway, MA, passed away on Saturday, August 8th, 2026, at the Baptist Hill Road home where he lived for the past 42 years. Crowley, as he was commonly called, was born in Presque Isle, Maine at the US Air Force Hospital on December 1st, 1942, the son of Joseph and Patience (Lyon) Crowley. John was the second of their five children. His father, a doctor, spent most of WWII in England, periodically supervising the transport of wounded vets from continental Europe to England, then to the U.S., and back.
As they followed their father’s career after the war, Crowley and his four sisters were constantly on the move. First, they lived in Brattleboro, VT; then, in the northeastern coal mining region of Martin, KY; next, in South Bend; and last, in Lafayette, IN. Their education was largely in Catholic schools, but included a few notable years home-schooled by nuns. John would go on to attend Indiana University. Upon graduation in 1965, he moved to New York City. There, he worked as a photographer’s printer, an editor of the NYC phonebook, and a documentary script writer of films– including several about car racing, though he did not yet drive. Most importantly, he began writing novels.
In the early 1980s, when asked by his partner (and eventual wife) Laurie Block, what his long-term goals were, John replied without hesitation, “to write enough books to fill a long shelf-books that people will read”. This was a goal he achieved. Of his many published works, some titles include Little, Big, The Translator, Four Freedoms, and Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr. His legacy also includes the scripts for more than two dozen documentary films, the most notable being America Lost & Found and the World of Tomorrow. Crowley also contributed to works about disability history produced in film, radio, and on the web by his wife Laurie Block. These works include FIT: Episodes in the History of the Body, the Beyond Affliction series, and www.disabilitymuseum.org. For several decades, Crowley also taught creative and screen writing at Yale University.
Another important goal was to one day own a house. This would become John and Laurie’s place of work and residence in Conway, where the decades until his death were happily spent. He also very much wanted children, a decision he embraced wholeheartedly. Hazel and Zander’s presence gave him the greatest joy of his adult life.
John is survived by his wife, his children, his sister Jo, nieces Anne and Rachel, nephews Liam, Peter, Dan, and Nathan, as well as several grand nieces, grand nephews and in-laws. All enjoyed his dinner table tales, gentle manner, and good cooking. He will be missed, but his legacy beyond family remains readily available via interlibrary loan. His books will carry his heart and spirit forward into the future.
If time allowed, John Crowley loved to mull a logic puzzle or draw a caricature. In his last years, art and music brought him peace. John Crowley will be buried in a private ceremony.
A public memorial will be announced later this fall.
Local arrangements are under the direction of the Kostanski Funeral Home. For condolences, please visit www.kostanskifuneralhome.com.
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