Kenneth E. Croy OTTAWA – Kenneth E. Croy, 88, of Ottawa, passed away at 4:40 p.m. on Friday, March 7, 2025, at Mercy Health St. Rita's Medical Center, Lima.  He was born February 22, 1937, in Ottawa to the late Raymond and Louise (Hornung) Croy.  He had been married to Barbara Thoma, she survives in Glandorf. Ken is also survived by four children: Diane (Edward Romero) Judy of Findlay, Matthew (Nacita) Croy of Virginia Beach, VA., Adah (Will Roush) Ellerbrock of Lima, and Luke Croy of Glandorf; fifteen grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and a sister: Mary Lou Johnson, of Whitehouse. He is preceded in death by a daughter, Martha Croy; a granddaughter, Kaitlyn Schimmoeller; three siblings: Richard (Mary) Croy, Alice (William) Laibe, and Rita (Jim) Martin; and a brother-in-law, Bill Johnson. Ken had many passions in life, his first being family.  He was a devoted son, brother, cousin, uncle, and husband.  He was also a proud father, grandfather and great grandfather.  His love of family lead him to genealogy.  He tirelessly researched thousands of leads to catalogue the history of the Croy family.  He journeyed across America and the world in his search, with his more distant "trips" taking place over the internet.  He has left us a good start to continue his work on his web page; https://www.croygenealogy.com/.  You can also find links here to the many pursuits Ken had throughout his life. Ken found many of his leads while cataloguing and mapping area cemeteries.  His detailed work helped many congregations provide easy access to the location of their loved ones.  The genealogy research parlayed into local history.  Ken added many stories about local persons and businesses to his website.  He also created and managed websites for churches and businesses. Ken enjoyed many other pursuits and hobbies throughout his 88 years.  As a young man he enjoyed music, both playing and singing.  His children remember "Dad" on stage singing barbershop or just humming along to a tune on the radio. Transportation was another passion.  He could fix most anything wrong with the family ride.  He rode a motorcycle from youth to the youth of his own children, giving it up only after a nasty spill.  He also loved the midget cars at the fair, going to drag and stock car races, and visiting museums that featured planes, trains and automobiles.  Some of the most fun he had was running his HO, O, and N gauge model railroads complete with villages and landscapes. Ken was also a cook, passing the passion along to all his children.  He created family cookbooks with everyone's recipes from his and his bride's side of the family.  These are used constantly to cook up new memories each year. Bowling was a pursuit from Ken's youth until well into his adult life.  His mastery of the lanes led him to the 1961 National ABC team championship in Detroit.  He would collect many more trophy's before hanging up his shoes. Ken was an account executive in the auto parts industry.  His management of hundreds of stores through the years garnered recognition time and again. Ken's faith is the cornerstone of who he was throughout his life.  He graduated from Saints Peter and Paul High School in 1955.  He earned letters in Band and Basketball as the team manager.  He was a member of Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church his entire life. Funeral Mass will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 22, 2025, at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Ottawa with Fr. Scott Kramer officiating.  Burial will follow in the church cemetery.  A visitation will be held on Friday from 2 to 8 p.m. with a scripture service at 7:50 p.m. at LOVE FUNERAL HOME, Ottawa. Memorial donations may be made to Sts. Peter and Paul Building Fund. Condolences may be expressed at www.lovefuneralhome.com

Sts. Peter and Paul Church Building Fund
Ottawa OH