Louis A Crescioli

Born in Richmond, Virginia on November 15, 1928, the youngest of four children to Gemma Biagiani and Tito Crescioli, Louis’s life was marked by incredible achievements and incredibly good fortune. While he attended John Marshall High School, he was given his first taste of military life when he was assigned the duty of patrolling the neighborhood during WWII to make sure nobody had lights exposed. He was awarded a full scholarship to Washington & Lee University, but had his enrollment cancelled two weeks prior to his first day as the university needed to accommodate veterans returning from WWII in 1946. In just two weeks, friends and supporters were able to redirect his scholarship with admission to the University of Richmond where he became a proud first generation college graduate in 1950.

Louis served his country as a Captain in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War from 1950 to 1952. His platoon was divided in two, with half going to the Korean War and the other half deployed to the Mediterranean – Louis luckily avoided the front lines. He was assigned to the U.S. Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean, based out of Naples, Italy aboard an amphibious Attack Cargo Ship (“AKA”) where he took part in rigorous landing exercises extending from the Rock of Gibraltar to Beirut, Lebanon. Based on winning a coin toss, his final month in active duty for the US marines was served working as a lifeguard patrolling Onslow Beach at Camp Lejeune, which later in life caused a great many dermatology appointments.

After the Marines, Louis worked for Southern Bank and Trust in Richmond but often wrote letters to J. Edgar Hoover to express his dream of working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In 1954, he received a response and was invited to Quantico where he began a distinguished career with the FBI, going on to assignments in Burlington, VT; Chicago, IL; Monterey, CA, where he attended Army language school to learn Romanian. Louis used Romanian to work FBI cases involving dissidents from the USSR for the first two years of his career. He then went back to language school to refresh his family’s native Italian. After completing his second language school he was moved to the Organized Crime desk in NYC.

He moved to the Washington field office in 1966 where he became a Supervisor, and joined the FBI Headquarters Intelligence Division in 1971, acting as an FBI liaison to other government agencies and retiring in 1980 as Unit Supervisor.

Louis often talked about his experience with the FBI fondly, including many stories of working and interacting with the FBI’s iconic founder, J. Edgar Hoover.

From 1980, leaving retirement behind, Louis began his second career as a federal government contractor for the Department of Defense until his second retirement in 2017. In all, Louis held an FBI credential for over 60 years. He was particularly proud to have passed on his FBI badge to his grandchild alongside the Director of the FBI.

Known for his big personality, Louis drew people in with his captivating storytelling, genuine warmth, and kindness. He had a gift for making connections and gathered friends everywhere he went. He enjoyed bowling, was a lifelong swimmer, and was an avid sports fan, especially of the Washington Commanders, the Nationals, and the Orioles. A lifelong learner, Louis had many varied interests which he developed by taking night classes to learn how to repair antique clocks, repair furniture, and perform his own automobile maintenance. He frequently frustrated his children when they came to visit by delaying their exits as he was under their cars checking the oil and tire pressures. His ability to loudly whistle like a bird both enchanted and embarrassed his family depending on how public the performance was. He coached Little League baseball for many years. Louis was deeply devoted to his family, his service, and his community, leaving a lasting impression on all who knew him. His robust Catholic faith was evident in his active participation with the Knights of Columbus, where he spearheaded annual Chesapeake Bay fishing trips, transforming the day's bounty into a communal fish fry shared with all St. Bernadette's parishioners that evening, much to Marjorie's continued dismay as she was actually the one who cooked the fish while he entertained with stories. He greatly enjoyed living at Goodwin House Bailey's Crossroads for his final years, where he entertained residents with his booming laugh, regaled them with his early morning singing, and became a fixture at the main lobby chess set where he generously shared his chess skills with both residents and visitors.

Louis joins his beloved wife of 48 years, Marjorie Joyce Lobdell Crescioli, in eternal rest. He was blessed to find love again later in life with Janet Meyer Smith, marrying at the age of 89 and enjoying five years together until her passing in 2022.

He is predeceased by his siblings, Leticia Masini, Lelia Crescioli, and Tito Crescioli, Jr. He is survived by his seven children: Christopher Crescioli (Dunbar), Linda Larson (Mike), Philip Crescioli (Cintia), Mary Brady (Jeffrey), Susan Albert (David), John Crescioli (Deirdre), and Thomas Crescioli (Liz); thirteen grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

We would like to extend our gratitude to the entire staff of Goodwin House, who truly made a home for Louis with their kindness, compassion, and loving care. He often remarked how lucky he was to live there.

The family has chosen to hold a private service to honor and celebrate the life of Louis Crescioli. We appreciate your understanding and respect for their wishes. In lieu of flowers, we ask that donations be made in Louis's name to the Goodwin Living Foundation at www.goodwinlivingfoundation.org .

A memorial page has been created for friends and loved ones to share condolences and memories of Louis’s remarkable life.