Obituary of Joe Crilley

It is with great sadness that the family of Edward Joseph Crilley of Saint John announce his passing which occurred on Tuesday, January 7, 2025 at the Saint John Regional Hospital.  Joe was the eldest son of the late Edward and Dorothy (Saunders) Crilley and was born on November 29, 1941, in Saint John, NB.

He was predeceased by his wife, Florence (Beaulieu); brothers, John, Frank and Pat; as well as son-in-law, Dino. Joe is survived by sisters, Dianne (Paul) and Debbie (the late Ken); brother, Victor (Linda) and sisters-in-law, Carol and Colleen.  He is also survived by his daughter, Janice; grandson, Tanner (Katie); grandchildren, Kashton and Jessa; special family, Elizabeth, Harry, Raven, Luna, Myles and Angus and special nephew, Dave (Jenn).

Joe was the manager of Brinks, worked at Rothesay Paper, and in later years he worked for his brother Johnny in the steam cleaning business.

The words generosity and Joe went hand in hand.  Ever thoughtful, he was quick to offer help when needed, always had presents, treats and thoughtful gifts ready for the grandchildren, his daughter and extended family.  Kashton and the other grandchildren always knew that at any time of day, Grampy Joe would be ready for them upstairs with a chocolate ice cream pop, lemonade, or whatever their little hearts desired.  He loved sitting around the fire playing games and cracking jokes with the kids, often playing animal guessing games or Pickles and Penguins with Jessa and Myles or P for Pizza also with Raven and Luna.  When he learned that Luna liked stuffies, it became his mission to make sure that she had numerous stuffies (from the Joshua group) on a weekly basis.  In the older days, an outing with Old Joe for the children (now grown) consisted of a trip to the Grand Bay Dump, followed by Arby’s, with him often coming back from the dump with more than he had left with.  One would never dare throw out the top of a can in Joe’s presence, as he collected and donated them diligently for many years, for children with disabilities.

To his grandchildren, he was known as ‘Grampy Joe’, but to all the other children in his life from extended family, he was known affectionately as ‘Old Joe’, and to his one and only daughter, as ‘Daddy’.  Always the kind and funny character, he also gave out nicknames to many whom he loved, including Janice (‘Pooch’ – for always by his side, ‘Skeeter’ for Tanner, ‘Home Alone’ for Harry, ‘Petunia’ for Luna, and others).

Joe was for sure a creature of habit.  You could find him every morning at 9:15am, with his McDonald’s coffee, parked up at Fort Howe, watching the ships come in, and getting the news to later relay back to the family for the day.  Under no circumstances could Janice miss Tuesday and Thursday night bingo with Joe.  It didn’t matter what else was happening in the world or hers, this fixture of life was expected, every Tuesday and Thursday night.  If she wasn’t there by 5:45pm, then the reminder phone calls would begin.  Joe believed firmly in punctuality.  For him, being on time meant showing up at least 20 minutes early, and if you were 5 minutes early yourself, then you were scolded for being ‘late’.  He was also a big supporter of the Joshua Group online weekly auctions.  He looked forward to going each week to pick up his winnings (which were always gifts for the kids and others) and to chat with Kat.  It was a highlight of his week.

Joe also enjoyed playing cards with friends at the Admiral Beatty, and going to the weekly flea market.  For all those who knew Joe, to say he was a huge Roy Orbison fan, would be a great understatement.  Back in the day, when the star came to Saint John, he had 9yr old Janice attend the performances with him at every venue not only in Saint John, but also Moncton, and Fredericton.  One of Joe’s prize possessions was his J45 Gibson guitar.  At gatherings, he loved to pull out his guitar and strum a tune from the 50s, saying “Here’s an oldie but a goodie”, and “You name it, we’ll wreck it! – The Agony Brothers”.

Joe will be greatly missed by his daughter Janice, whom he lived with on and off throughout their lives.  The two were inseparable.  He would often say ‘We’re not just father and daughter.  We’re best friends’.  Every single morning, Joe would send Janice a FB message saying how much he loved her, and then a meme with some saying or quote about the importance of daughters or of how important she was to him.  Even through her adult years, Janice could not go on a single trip, without giving her father daily reports on how she was doing and where she was, knowing also that she’d get numerous warnings of any possible dangers she might encounter and need to be safe from, including dire weather, crime reports in the area, or anything else he feared might prevent her from coming home.  Joe, ‘Grampy’, ‘Old Joe’, Daddy - you will be greatly missed.

A special thank you to Christopher for being there in Joe’s final days to help make things a little easier.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend the visitation and celebration of Joe’s life on Sunday, January 19, 2025 from 2:00 - 4:00 PM at the Best Western, 55 Majors Brook Drive, Saint John.

For those who wish, donations may be made to the Joshua Group.