Hollis Edward Crowe II Obituary

Hollis Edward Crowe II, known to family and friends as Ed, died at his home in Phoenix, Arizona, on Friday, May 6, 2022. Ed was born on September 3, 1957, in Saco, Maine. He is survived by his wife Karen Pitts Crowe; by his children, Kelly Crowe Maser and her husband Alex Maser, Hollis Crowe III and his fiancé Olivia, David Crowe and his fiancé Ivanna, and Katlynn Crowe; by his stepmother, Grace Ordewald Crowe; by his sisters, Pamela Herold and her husband John Herold, Lynn Pritchett and her husband Ashby Pritchett, DeeDee Hamby and her husband Ron Hamby, and Angela Bourland; and by their children, his nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Hollis E. Crowe and Rochelle Ricard Crowe; his brother, Albert Crowe; and his daughter, Sarah Crowe.

Ed graduated from Martinsville High School in 1975. He attended Danville Community College and graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in Electrical Engineering in 1980. He worked as an electrical engineer for Radford Arsenal and DuPont. With the advent of desktop computers, he added software implementation and development to his skills and was employed by Price Waterhouse Coopers to train embassy personnel in the use of desktop computers and financial accounting software. In this capacity, he visited every continent, with the exception of Antarctica.

After moving to Phoenix, Arizona, Ed worked for IBM and MicroAge before starting his own consulting firm, which managed solutions for the Y2K bug for America West Airlines. After developing the first faculty scheduling software for the University of Phoenix as a consultant, he was offered a permanent position in their IT department, where he remained as a software engineer and data scientist until his retirement in November 2021.One of Ed's most impressive accomplishments was the completion of an office and workshop that he designed and constructed from two forty-foot shipping containers on his lakefront property in Show Low, Arizona. The product of a lifetime of learning diverse skills, this project was completed in time for him to utilize and enjoy throughout the spring and summer of 2021.

However, by far the greatest accomplishment that Ed made was to bring laughter, love, and curiosity to everyone in his life. He was a Husband, Father, Family, Friend, Coworker (which usually was synonymous with friend) - and his love and memories will flow through us every day. His wife and children ask that whenever you see a beautiful flower, or smell the ocean breeze, or build something yourself - please remember that he is right there with you in your heart saying, "Love you!".

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations may be made to the Ivy Brain Tumor Center at Barrow Neurological Foundation, or to Hospice of the Valley, located in Phoenix, Arizona. An online memorial service will be held at a date to be announced.