Arthur Scott Cranston, Jr.

Arthur Scott (“Scotty”) Cranston, Jr., 89, of Silver Spring, MD, departed peacefully in his home on February 21, 2017, surrounded by devoted family members and friends.  Born and raised in Washington, DC, Scotty had an infectious zest for living life to the fullest and was always ready to tell a memorable story or sing a sentimental song.  He always found common ground with everyone he met in the course of his long, wonderful and eventful life. He was infamous for his massive mailing of green bagels for St. Patrick’s Day, making sure that the return address was always “O’Malley’s Bakery.”  As a boy he spent his days playing in Rock Creek Park or riding the trolley car out to the amusement park in Glen Echo, MD.

Scotty was an amazing athlete and was recognized for his outstanding athletic achievements by being inducted in the Athletic Hall of Fame at Gonzaga College High School, Class of 1945, and The Catholic University of America (CU), Class of 1951.  He was the first player in Gonzaga basketball history to score 30 points or more in one game.  At CU, Scotty led all basketball players during the 1947-1948 season with 202 points.  The next year, he was the second highest scorer.  In 1951, he was selected to the Mason-Dixon Conference Team and the All-District Team.  In 1948, he played baseball, becoming the team’s top relief pitcher.

In the years between high school and college, Scotty enlisted in the Navy, and after boot camp in Bainbridge, MD, he served at the Navy base in Solomon’s Island MD.  After graduation from CU, Scotty was selected as the Athletic Director of Archbishop Carroll High School.  He coached basketball at Carroll and later at the Priory School, which is now known as St. Anselm’s.  He was also co-director of the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) Summer Day Camps, which served over 35,000 children each year in the Archdiocese of Washington. 

In addition to his athletic accomplishments, Scotty was respected as a prominent businessman in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.  In 1956, he started C & L School Bus Lines which served Catholic schools and CYO summer camps in DC and Maryland.  Also in the mid-1950’s he obtained his broker’s license and formed Arthur S. Cranston Associates Inc., becoming an insurance broker for the National Security Agency, where he worked for 32 years.  Scotty also formed Mass Benefits Consultants (MBC) in 1971 and has been CEO of the organization ever since.  MBC specializes in various types of group insurance for federal government agencies.

As hard as Scotty worked to provide for his large family, he also knew when to “stop and smell the roses,” as he would say.  He was a lover of the outdoors and was always ready to go fishing, hunting or head on down to Southern Maryland where he and his brother, James R. (Ray) Cranston, maintain a 350-acre working farm that once belonged to their parents.

Scotty is survived by the love of his life, his wife of 64 years, Berenice McDonnell Cranston, and six children: Mary Kate Cranston, Sheila Grant (Peter), Scotty Cranston (Carla), Maureen Hearl (Bill), Tom Cranston and Theresa Mills (Artie).  He is also survived by 12 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, his brother, Ray, and his sister, Joan (Sister Arturo Cranston, O.P.)

Relatives and friends may call at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, 4101 Norbeck Road, Rockville, MD 20853 on Thursday, March 2, 2017 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. with Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m.  Internment is at Gate of Heaven Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his memory to Gonzaga College High School, 19 Eye Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20001.