Charles "Chuck" Crowther

Charles W. Crowther, 83, passed away peacefully on May 14, 2020, at his home in Brattleboro, Vermont. He was born on July 2, 1936 in E. Derry, NH, the second son of Stephen T. Crowther and Margaret Elizabeth (Gleason) Crowther. He grew up in Laconia, NH with parents and brother Tom. He was the husband of Mary "Maisie" B. (Goodale) Crowther, whom he married June 18, 1966 in Ipswich, MA. He was Father of Carol and Mark, Grandfather of Sam Ingersoll, Luc Thibodeau and Douglas Studer.
Chuck attended Laconia High School and furthered his education at University of New Hampshire where he received his BA in Economics in 1959, and his Master's in English Education. He was Social Chair of Acacia Fraternity while an undergraduate, participated in Freshman Camp orientation, Band, Concert Choir, and enlisted in the Army ROTC. After college, he completed his Infantry training with rank of First Lieutenant with Honorable Discharge in 1968.
Employment for Chuck started at an early age when he worked for Armstrong Co., dispensing ice cream to visitors of the Lakes Region, NH, and working as a Lifeguard on Lake Winnipesaukee. His first teaching job was as English Instructor in Stratford, CT. After moving to Cambridge MA, he taught at Emerson Jr. High in Concord, MA. In 1965, he moved to Brattleboro, VT, where he began a long association with the School for International Training (World Learning). He had participated in the People to People Summer Program, (1961) and led a group to Sweden on The Experiment in International Living (1963).
In Brattleboro, he taught in the English Department of BUHS, 1969-71. Answering the call for English teachers from the Fulbright Scholarship Program, and with a young family, Chuck set off for Anatolia College, Thessaloniki, Greece in the fall of 1971, and renewed the contract for a second year.
Returning to Vermont, Chuck taught English at Wilmington High School (1974-1983) and spent summers taking courses at Yale Summer Language Institute and Boston University or teaching at Phillips Andover Academy and Phillips Brooks Academy. In 1981, he earned a scholarship to participate in Earthwatch archeological 'dig' of a monastery in Farfa, Sabena, Italy.
His appetite whetted for travel and teaching abroad, he trained in skills for Teaching English as a Second Language. His interest in American Literature teamed up with the grammar and vocabulary of global business, which led him to appointments in Casa Thomas Jefferson, Brasilia, Brazil, (1983); Saudi Arabia (1985); Ukraine (Summers 1994,'95,'97,'98,) and a full academic year in Simferopol, Crimea, Ukraine, (2003-04). He served on the Board of Northern New England Teachers of Students of Other Languages (TESOL).
In Brattleboro, he was active with the Brattleboro Adult Education Program; helping refugees from Vietnam and Nepal become acquainted with American culture and language. Through Global Business Associates, Chuck taught English to foreign agricultural executives who were drawn to Brattleboro by the renowned Holstein Company. He tutored students from other countries who attended Marlboro College. In retirement from teaching, Chuck was Realtor with Don Long Realtors. He was always interested in finding the 'right' home for his clients. Don had found the home Chuck and his family have lived in for 53 years! Chuck also enjoyed lunch with his companions at the Brattleboro Senior Center where he found his stories and jokes had an appreciative audience, and where he served on the Senior Corporation.
Music and Tennis were his hobbies. He played Clarinet with the Brattleboro Legion Band and sang for a time in the Community Choir. He enjoyed his membership at the Brattleboro Tennis Club, often playing with a regular early Sunday morning group. "God is a Perfect Lob." He loved long walks on Crane Beach in Ipswich, attending retreats at The Weston Priory, and socializing with friends at All Souls Church.
Chuck's penchant for travel and helping foreigners in this country kept him filled with purpose and dedication to the motto of The Experiment in International Living – "Learn to Live Together by Living Together" – and "Expect the Unexpected."
Chuck is survived by his wife, Maisie; daughter Carol Studer of Davis, CA, and son Mark and his wife Susan (Fagelson) Crowther of Elizabethton, TN; his grandchildren, Douglas Studer, Sam Ingersoll and Luc Thibodeau, and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his older brother Thomas S. Crowther of Lincoln, MA (who died November 15, 2019).
There will be no visiting hours, and no formal services are planned at this time.
In Lieu of Flowers, please consider a gift to:
Senior Meals (207 Main St., Brattleboro, VT, 05301)
Brattleboro Music Center -- Blanche Moyse Way, Brattleboro, VT 05301