Mary Rose Crocco

Mary grew up in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. After high school, she went to nurses’ training and then raised four children. In August 1962, she married James Crocco, Sr. and they spent 56 years together. Their personalized car license plate affectionately read “Jimary”. In February 1974, the family moved from Somerset, New Jersey to Houston, Texas. Mary said that she wasn’t born a Texan, but got there as fast as she could! Mary and Jim traveled frequently to Europe and Asia throughout Jim’s methanol consulting business.

While in Houston, Mary was a magnet for the neighborhood kids, always providing the fun along with advice and support. She liked to scare the neighborhood kids at Halloween, dressing up as a gorilla and sitting in the driveway with her neighbor Becky Askew passing out candy. She also would take great pride in arm wrestling her son’s high school friends and beating them! At Christmas, Mary would dress up as Santa and visit her husband’s office. No one knew who it was!

Mary wasn’t afraid to speak her mind! She was a practical joker and was lovingly called “Sarge in Charge” by her family.

In the mid-1990s, Mary retired from bookkeeping in Jim’s business to their home on Lake Livingston. There she enjoyed bass fishing, gambling, trying to beat her son-in-law in her lifelong passion of tennis, and cooking. Cooking was “love” to Mary and she made the best spaghetti and meatballs and bananas foster, not only for her family but for neighbors as well.

Mary loved the men and women of law enforcement. Even though she had a lead foot, she didn’t get her first speeding ticket until age 70. She promptly got out of her car, shook the police officer’s hand, and congratulated him! When Mary received her stimulus check from the government in 2020, she donated the money to the Austin Sheriff’s Association for them to buy bullet-proof vests.

Mary is preceded in death by her parents, Edwin and Mary Bugle, her husband James Crocco, Sr., her son James Crocco, Jr., her son Warren Fisler, Jr., her brother Edwin Bugle, Jr., and her sister Gloria Bugle Pellegrino.

Mary is survived by her daughter Connie Crocco Mawer and husband Andrew of Austin, Texas, grandchildren Emily and Jack Mawer of Austin, granddaughter Mary LaRusso with husband Jim and great-granddaughter Evelyn of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, daughter Dawn Fisler Caron and granddaughter Elisa Fisler Griffin.

The family would like to thank Southern Hospitality Home and its amazing staff for providing loving care and support to Mary for the past three years.

Mary loved animals of all kinds, well except for our childhood dog Josh that she called a mix between a rabbit, a weasel and a deer. Memorial contributions in Mary’s name can be made to the ASPCA at www.aspca.org

Mary said that her purpose in life was “to make people laugh”. Yes, a job well done!

Mary asked that her family celebrate her life privately, but we would love for you to share comments about her on this website.

“May her soul, and the souls of all the departed, through the mercy of God, Rest In Peace.”