Edward Charles Croke

Croke began his career as a news reporter and editor for the White Plains Reporter Dispatch and Yonkers Herald Statesman.

He became the high school sports editor of the Macy Chain of papers in 1958 and helped co-found the Con Edison Athlete of the Week program. He was hired by The New York Giants in 1965 as the team's Director of Promotions. In 1972, he was named public relations director, a title he held until retirement in 1993.

With a penchant for deftly crafted and witty press releases, Croke oversaw the media coverage for some of the best teams in franchise history, including two Giants Super Bowl winning teams in 1986 and 1990.

Edward Charles Croke was born in North Tarrytown to the late Charles and Marguerite Carroll Croke. A three-star athlete at N.T High School and Iona College, where he played with future Basketball Hall of Famer, Richie Guerin, Croke also pitched for the North Atlantic League before being drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

He was a patriotic American, proud of the time he spent in the service of his country in the U.S. Army Signal Corps at Ft. Meade, Maryland.

Ed was the author of two books, "The First 100 Years of Baseball," and "The First NFL-AFL Illustrated Digest," and appeared in several films and television commercials including 1977's "Black Sunday."

After his retirement, he hosted a weekly "Legends" radio broadcast on ESPN in West Palm Beach that featured Giants legends such as Bill Parcells, Tucker Frederickson, and Sean Landeta.

He had the knack of making instant and lasting friends out of everyone from bartenders to celebrities including the legendary pianist Erroll Garner and comedian Carol Burnett.

Eddie, Daddy-O or Poppy-Ed as his family called him, was loyal, funny, savored his Dewar's, loved playing the piano and his best bud, Charlie. But his greatest joy was his family who remain incredibly proud of all he taught us, his loving nature and his fighting spirit.

Ed Croke is survived by the love of his life, his wife, Ilonka Croke of Jupiter, with whom he shared 35 years of love, laughter and adventure. (He often left her poems he wrote that expressed how lucky he felt to have found her); five children, Karen Croke, Colleen Venturi, Gary Croke, Lauren Croke and Kevin Croke along with six grandchildren, his daughter-in-law Laurayne and sons-in-law Rob, Jeff and Eddie and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his daughter, Brenda DeBarbieri.

Visitation will be held from 5-8 p.m. on June 24, 2018 at Aycock-Riverside Funeral Home, 1112 Military Trail, Jupiter, Florida. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on June 25, 2018 at Saint Paul of the Cross Catholic Church, 10970 Jack Nicklaus Dr., North Palm Beach, Florida. In lieu of flowers consider donating to The Jupiter Medical Foundation, www.jmcfoundation.org. Burial will be in New Jersey on June 29, 2018.