Roger James Crotty

Roger James Crotty, age 83, of Asheboro, died Wednesday, August 16, 2017, at his home. Roger's natal day was October 19, 1933, on the Great South Side of Chicago. He was the first of two sons born to John and Madeline (Carlson) Crotty, who preceded him in death. The self-described "lefthanded kid from the South Side" was a product of a mixed marriage (his father was Irish Catholic and his mother Swedish Lutheran) and was the first in his family to attend college, at age 16. He graduated from Grinnell College, then returned to Chicago and worked for a marketing firm until he was drafted into the U.S. Army. Roger passed all the hard tests and was assigned to work in Army Intelligence, despite being a lifelong pacifist and hating the idea of shooting anything. After his years in the service, Roger began his career in advertising. He worked at the famed Leo Burnett, then for various advertising agencies in many of the buildings in the Loop in Chicago. He married the light of his life, Martha, in 1973, and moved to Cincinnati after the great Blizzard of '79 to take a job at an advertising agency. But his heart was always in Chicago. Roger grew up rooting for the Fighting Irish and the Chicago Cardinals (after that, the Bears), Blackhawks and White Sox - a passion he instilled in his daughter, Megan. One of the joys of his life was being able to attend a game of the White Sox World Series win in 2005. After he retired from the ad biz in 1998, Roger started Crotty & Crotty, a writing/design company with Martha. He was the president on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; she ran the company on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. He and Martha moved to Asheboro in 2006 to be closer to their daughter, and to frustrate local conservatives with their left wing nut views. He loved music, especially jazz and Frank Sinatra, and was a voracious reader. His idea of a spectacular time was to go to a bookstore with Martha, also a writer and reader. Roger was a gifted poet, essayist and novelist. His work has been published in multiple collections and he self-publishing several books, including the Billy Goodman detective series. He filled scores of notebooks with his words, all written in longhand in blue ink with one of his favorite ballpoint pens. He also was a master of the lost art of letter writing, sending at least one letter a week to Megan when she was in college. He would write to novelists and publishers to point out errors he found in books, often getting a thank you note in reply for his complimentary proofreading. Many readers of the Asheboro Courier-Tribune's Letters to the Editor page are also familiar with his name. When he wasn't penning a new poem or reading the latest Robert B. Parker novel, Roger worked on crossword puzzles - always in pen. In addition to writing, reading and rabble rousing, Roger was a fanatical runner and walker. He walked to school as a child and to work as an adult no matter the weather; he ran 5Ks and 10Ks and he could be seen walking with Martha on the sidewalks around his home in Asheboro until a neurological condition called Charcot-Marie-Tooth cruelly stole his ability to walk. Roger is survived by many people who loved him, especially his wife of 43 years, Martha Crotty; his daughter, Megan Crotty and her husband, Todd Dulaney, of Asheboro, and their daughters, Oona and Casey; and his brother and sister-in-law, John and Karen Crotty of Lake Bluff, Ill. As he wished, he will return home when his ashes will be scattered in his beloved Lake Michigan. A local memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please make a gift in Roger's memory to the Asheboro Public Library, 210 Worth Street, Asheboro, NC 27203, Community Home Care & Hospice, 533 S. Fayetteville St., Asheboro, NC 27203, the Southern Poverty Law Center, 400 Washington Avenue, Montgomery, AL 36104 or the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association, PO Box 105, Glenolden, PA 19036. The family would like to thank Community Home Care & Hospice, Heaven Sent Private Care and everyone who helped care for Roger, especially Randa, Mary, Denise, Tricia, Thomas and Brittany. Pugh Funeral Home in Asheboro is serving the Crotty family.