Dick Crosby, a ’gentle giant’ of Rockford real estate, dead at 92

ROCKFORD — Richard “Dick” Crosby, a prominent real estate executive for more than four decades, is being remembered as a loving father, a World War II veteran and a tireless businessman.

The Rockford native and member of West High School’s Class of 1945 died Monday at age 92.

Crosby built a thriving real estate business in the 1970s that is now known as Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Crosby Starck Real Estate, an independently owned real estate office located at 551 N. Mulford Road.

“He had the brains and the leadership,” longtime local real estate agent Bob Nieman said. “He knew the real estate business, especially the residential real estate business.”

Crosby is viewed today as a mentor to many local real estate agents, said David Dale Johnson, who has more than 30 years of experience in the real estate industry.

“When I was interviewing at various real estate offices in the late 1980s, I was told there was no one better at training Realtors in Rockford than Dick Crosby,” Johnson said. “He was always planning and always setting goals for the office. Oftentimes, we were able to surpass those goals.”

Veteran local real estate agent Dianne Parvin recalls Crosby’s role as a member of the Winnebago County Board of Review, which evaluates real estate tax protests filed by homeowners.

“He was a gentle giant in the industry, and he worked tirelessly to help people who protested their tax bills,” Parvin said. “He not only cared about the real estate business, he cared about the community.”

Crosby’s impact on the real estate industry was felt well beyond Rockford. He served as president of the Illinois Association of Realtors in 1993 and also served as chairman of the National Association of Realtors Political Action Committee.

“He oversaw the distribution of the money for presidential candidates and Senate and congressional candidates,” said Crosby’s son, Michael, a Rockford attorney. “So, he really made a big impact not just locally with his real estate business over 45 years, but also at the state and national level with his chosen profession.”

Real estate was actually Crosby’s third career.

After serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps in Tokyo and Okinawa, Japan, in 1945, Crosby returned to Rockford, where he married his first wife, Barbara, and eventually owned the former Ace Hardware store on South Main and Morgan streets.

He later became an executive with Vulcansord, a manufacturing company based in the Netherlands, before returning to Rockford and launching his real estate career in the early 1970s.

Crosby took a leave of absence from real estate to run for Congress in 1980, losing the Republican Party primary to Lynn Martin, who eventually served five terms as representative from Illinois’ 16th Congressional District.

Undaunted in defeat, Crosby continued to focus on his conservative principles, including tax reform.

After his first marriage ended in divorce, Crosby married Jean Denny Licary in 1988.

“He actually recruited Jean into the real estate business in ‘83 or ‘84,” Michael Crosby said. “They’ve lived a fairy tale life. They built a great business, and they had a lovely marriage.”

Jean Crosby, who now serves on the Winnebago County Board, is president of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Crosby Starck Real Estate.

When not working, Dick Crosby enjoyed fishing, an occasional round of golf and sipping a dry martini or two at home with Jean.

While Crosby retired from real estate due to health issues in recent years, he was still involved in the industry.

“Up until about two years ago, he’d go into work three or four times a week at the ripe old age of 90,” Michael Crosby said. “You couldn’t keep him out of the office. It was his life.”

Crosby is survived by his wife, Jean, four children, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

A visitation will be held from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturday at Honquest Family Funeral Home, 4311 N. Mulford Road in Loves Park. A funeral service is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, please send memorials to Rockford Rescue Mission in Dick Crosby’s name.

Ken DeCoster:kdecoster@rrstar.com; @DeCosterKen