Patricia "Patti" Jane (Reed) Crowson

A bright spark, loving, fun, thoughtful, kind, intellectually curious, social, full of life, faithful, unafraid, intelligent, determined, spunky, a lifelong learner, and a lover of anything chocolate!

Patricia (Patti) was born in Southampton, NY on October 5, 1931, to Ruth and Charles Reed.

At Southampton High School, Patti was a popular and involved student. She played field hockey and basketball and was a cheerleader. She formed many friendships with women who remained her closest friends for her entire life.

Not long after graduating, Patti met Robert (Bob) Vickerman in NY City and, after a whirlwind romance, they married. Patti and Bob had 2 children, Pamela Dian (Schroeder) and Robert Edward (Crowson).

In 1955, and six months pregnant, Patti made the brave and gutsy decision to leave her marriage and everything that went with it. Patti, Pam and Robert moved in with her mother Ruth in Southampton. While Patti worked in NYC during the week, Ruth took care of Pam and Rob.

Patti worked at exclusive New York City retailer Jay Thorpe for several years, moving up from sales associate to buyer while commuting by train to Southampton on weekends. Pam and Rob still remember the happy sound of the whistling train on Friday nights as they waited for Mommy to come home.

Ray Crowson was a family friend whom Patti, Pam and Rob had known for years. Patti and Ray continued that friendship occasionally dating while he sailed the world with the US Merchant Marines. 

Once, after a spat, Ray misread the room and asked her to marry him. Patti emphatically told him that “she wouldn’t marry him if he was the last man on earth!”

Well, Patti married Raymond Brady Crowson at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Southampton on August 25, 1960. Ray legally adopted Pam and Rob and he and Patti had one child, Wendy Crowson (Vonnegut).

Patti and Ray had a long and happy marriage and made many good friends in all the places they lived, including Jacksonville, FL, Glen Ellyn, IL, Highpoint, NC; Providence, RI; Columbia, NJ; and Fayetteville, NC. They loved to travel especially to Europe where they indulged Ray’s passion for visiting and playing cold and windy golf courses.

Raymond passed away on March 13, 2006, and mom lived on her own for 20 more years, just a few blocks from Wendy and her husband Joe in Fayetteville.

After Ray’s passing, Patti spent happy times driving Wendy’s daughter Madeleine to school functions and golf practice and becoming a vibrant member of her Fayetteville neighborhood. She attended symphony performances and plays with Wendy and Joe, and she traveled regularly to California to see her daughter Pam and to Florida to see her son Rob.

Patti enjoyed meeting everyone, having good conversations, reading, shopping, cooking, watching PBS and sipping coffee on her front porch. Her happy place was anywhere on a beach walking in the sand and water and listening to the waves crashing in the surf. She was an avid gardener, a lover of birds, a witty conversationalist, a voracious and thoughtful gift giver, and an adept user of iPad, iPhone and Apple watch devices, which expanded her world in meaningful ways. Her joie de vivre will always be an inspiration to her family and friends.

Patti passed away at home on December 16, 2025, at age 94, at peace, surrounded by family and friends. 

She is survived by Pam and Gary Schroeder (Orinda, CA); Bob and Helene Crowson (Bonita Springs, FL), Wendy and Joe Vonnegut (Fayetteville, NC), Madeleine Vonnegut (Baltimore, MD), Matthew and Clare Crowson (Clinton, TN), Cameron and Brenda Crowson (Sunny Isles Beach FL) and Jeff and Megan Schroeder (McKinleyville, CA) and their children Maddox Schroeder (McKinleyville, CA), Raymond Crowson, Mary Crowson, Peter Crowson (Clinton ,TN) and Robbie Crowson ( Sunny Isles Beach, FL)

Patti was loved greatly and will be missed immeasurably. 

A private family service will be held on the oceanside in 2026. 

If you are moved to donate on her behalf, her 2 favorite local Fayetteville charities are:

The Child Advocacy Center: https://www.cacfaync.org

Fayetteville Urban Ministry: https://www.fayurbin.org