Obituary of Michael Lee Crippen

Michael Lee Crippen moved on to his next life on the morning of March 5th surrounded by family at his home. He is predeceased by his parents Arnold and Elizabeth, his sister Virginia and his first born, Patrick. Mike is survived by Karen Crippen, his loving wife of 58 years. Together they successfully raised Colleen (Joe), Kevin (Sharon), Dennis (Angela) and Keith(Carmela). Mike adored his eleven grandchildren: David (Tabby), Nicholas (Colleen), Gabrielle, Patrick, Cormac, James, Kaylee, Sean, Avery, Colin and Celia. Two great grandchildren, Benjamin and Lucas, round out the gene pool. While living in Pennsylvania, Mike and Karen cared for four foster children as well. Two siblings, Peter(Deborah) and Suzanne (Jim), mourn the loss of their big brother. Mike was born in Aurora, Illinois and lived in several states before his family settled for a time in Pennsylvania. He attended Drexel University on an ROTC scholarship and earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Following graduation, he proudly served in the US Army. He later joined the Pennsylvania National Guard, remained active for 15 years and achieved the rank of Captain before his discharge. While he and Karen raised their young family in Upper Darby, Pa. and working for General Electric, Mike attended Temple Law night school and earned his Law Degree. Shortly thereafter the family moved to Wildwood, NJ where he and Karen were the owner/operators of Henry’s Tavern and The Fun Spot until the year 2001. Mike practiced law for a short time but decided to focus his energies on his businesses instead. He was likely the best educated bar owner Wildwood has ever known Mike and Karen travelled whenever possible. From the house they had in Florida, to a Windjammer barefoot cruise and visiting the Great Wall of China, together they experienced as much of the world as possible. Mike loved watching sports of all kinds. He was thrilled when the Eagles won the Super Bowl and was fortunate enough to attend and see his Phillies win a World Series Game. Most of all Mike loved his family. Spending time with his wife, children, grand children and great grandchildren gave him great joy. Stoic in nature and never one to complain, Mike maintained a quiet dignity through a difficult last two years of his life. Karen’s diligent care and fantastic cooking kept him happy and content until the end. Thank you to Holy Redeemer Hospice for your assistance this past week. A memorial service will take place on March 11th at 2pm (Visitation begins at 1pm) at The Ingersoll-Greenwood Funeral Home (1201 Central Ave in North Wildwood. Condolences may be sent to ingersollgreenwoodfh.com). In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Mike’s memory to the Parkinson’s Life Center in Linwood, NJ by going to parkinsonlifecenterofsouthernnj.org. Dennis Crippen 609-602-1620