Thomas Crary

Thomas U. Crary, age 88, Fargo, ND, died Wednesday, November 2, 2005 in MeritCare Hospital, South, Fargo, ND. Tom was born to A. William Crary and Gertrude Ritten Crary in Minot ND on June 19, 1917. The family soon moved to Fargo where Tom grew up. He and his twin sister Rose were members of the first class to start St. Anthony?s grade school as first graders. Tom graduated from Fargo High School in 1935 and went on to the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Tom enlisted in the Navy Air Corps in May 1941 and received his wings January 1942. He served in the South Pacific as a navy pilot and then returned to the naval air station in Glenview, Illinois. The plane he flew, SBD5 Dive Bomber, ?The Dauntless?, number 109, now hangs in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. After his discharge, Tom returned to Fargo and joined the family business, A. W. Crary Insurance Agency. While living in Fargo he helped establish the Naval Reserve Unit of North Dakota in 1947. Tom joined the A.W. Crary Agency office in Devils Lake, ND in 1948. He married Patricia Scheel in August 1948 at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Fargo. They made their home in Devils Lake for the next 48 years, where they raised their six children and participated in church and community life. Tom especially enjoyed their cabin at Wood Lake where he was a master at popping corn over a log fire. Tom was an active member of St. Joseph?s Church, serving on the church counsel for several terms. He was on the Boy Scout Council, member of the Elks, VFW, and Knights of Columbus. In 1996 he and Pat moved back to Fargo to be near several of their children. They became members of Sts. Anne & Joachim Catholic Church. He is survived by his wife Pat, daughters: Katherine Johnson (Ross) Fargo, ND, Lisa Brooks (Robert) Moorhead, MN, Nancy Friesen (Brad) Afghanistan, and Margaret Crary (Jose Aleman) Chicago, IL; sons: Thomas II (Anne) Bismarck, ND, and Charles (Bethann) West Fargo, ND; seventeen grandchildren; and five great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers C. Joseph, John, and Vincent, and his sisters Marie Ryan, Marguerite McCue, and Rose Higgins. In lieu of flowers the family requests memorials be sent to Father Jack Davis, c/o Marlene Christianson, 3601 10th St S, Fargo ND 58103, or Assumption Abbey, Richardton ND 58652. Funeral services will be Monday, November 7 at 11 AM in St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church Fargo, ND. Visitation 4-5 PM Sunday, November 6 with a prayer service at 5 p.m. in Boulger Funeral Home Fargo. Burial will be held at Holy Cross North Cemetery in Fargo. Please sign the online guest book at www.boulgerfuneralhome.com Arrangements with Boulger Funeral Home, Fargo, ND