Pamela A. (St. Onge) Crowley

Pamela Ann (Pam) Crowley, 75, of Groton, MA passed away on February 24, 2022. She was born in Lowell, MA on August 27, 1946 to J. Edward and Josephine (Jo) St. Onge, and raised in Westford, MA.

Growing up, Pam learned to love shopping early on and honed her bargain-hunting skills with fun and frequent shop-till-you-drop trips with her sisters Karen and Donna and their mother, Nana Jo, each bent on cleaning out the stores with no sales tax in Nashua, NH. Karen and Pam, as identical twins, loved fooling people about their identities, tricking people into thinking one girl was the other much to the chagrin of their teachers! They shared an intuition unique to twins. Pam always knew when Karen was calling and would yell out "It's Karen!" before picking up the phone. They often bought identical outfits, in the same and different colors, and they even bought the same dresses for three different children's graduations!

Pam graduated from Westford Academy in 1964, and married her high school sweetheart, James (Jim) Crowley on December 11, 1965. Pam and all three of her siblings had children born in 1967, and these cousins enjoyed many years of holidays and happenings within the growing extended family. On St. Patrick's Day in 1967, Pam and Jim welcomed their beloved daughter Paula Jo to whom Pam was devoted. She enthusiastically immersed herself in motherhood, and as a homemaker for many years prided herself in always keeping her home neat and tidy, a trait, try as she might, her daughter did not inherit!
What her daughter did inherit is Pam's amazing generosity and artistic talent. She allowed Paula the space and place to grow and assert her creativity throughout her childhood, all while trying to keep the house clean! This was no easy task since Paula and her inseparable childhood friend Mary did their best to challenge Pam's patience by creating sprawling art projects in the living room, making messy food concoctions in the kitchen, and hauling back treasures from the dump. They caused her no end of worry by playing in ponds and driving cars through the woods, and kept her up at night with what Pam called their "tee-hee-hee-ing" well into the morning hours during sleepovers.

Though Paula was an only child, Pam often looked after her sisters' children and graciously mothered Paula's friend as well for many years, taking them both to the mall every weekend and buying them the latest fashions before treating them to Papa Gino's. Thanks to Pam, the girls sported Frye boots and perfect Farah Faucet hair flips and led fashion trends in Mork from Ork rainbow suspenders and snap-up corduroy hats! All expertly purchased at a discount, of course. Pam even tirelessly sewed and re-sewed Levi's tags onto bargain jeans for the girls as they grew, always careful to reuse the tag showing a perpetual waist size of 24!

She was truly engaged in her daughter's life and taught her everything she knows, from cooking and crafting, to giving and loving. Paula reciprocated Pam's giving spirit by generously caring for her during difficult times in her later years. Pam's sister Donna lovingly cared for her sister during these times as well, especially for the last five years and was happy to have her own beautifully decorated room in Pam's dream home. During this time, the sisters spent a great deal of time together and loved to watch films. Pam was notorious for picking films that had no real ending. Donna would plead with her to pick a movie with an actual ending which Pam would agree to do; they would then soon find themselves squealing with laughter each time the credits rolled on yet another movie without an ending!
In addition to being a great daughter, sister, wife, mother and aunt, Pam also embraced being Nana to Paula's son Geoff and helped Paula navigate the challenges and joys of motherhood. Later, Pam was blessed with a great- grandson James whom she doted on and who renamed her Nan. More recently, she was double-blessed with a second great-grandson, Chase!

After raising her daughter, Pam worked for many years at the Westford Regency as director of housekeeping and maintenance services. While transitioning to retirement, Pam and Jim made one of their greatest dreams come true in building their dream home together. Always a lover of perfection, Pam worked as the project designer, even appointing herself the General Contractor, hiring and firing workers, while Jim expertly installed the plumbing and heating systems. After construction, Pam decked the house out in Victorian lace and accoutrements, creating the gorgeous home she always dreamed of. Working with her husband to build this beautiful house was one of her proudest accomplishments.

Pam was also a wonderful cook and gracious hostess, preparing gourmet feasts for holiday gatherings. She loved summers at area lakes and beaches, but even during her well-earned vacation time she still managed to spend many hours shopping and was always cooking wonderful meals for everyone. She even made sure the birds were well fed! She also enjoyed a number of hobbies: growing beautiful flowers in her garden, sewing, knitting, and crocheting crafts, collecting dolls, and decorating her Victorian doll house. She also ran an eBay store for selling her crafts. She was an avid reader and a fan of British movies...especially those without endings.

Above all, Pam was a generous and caring person who was always ready to help. She will be greatly missed by her family and all who had the good fortune to know her.

She is survived by her husband James (Jim) Crowley and her daughter Paula Jo Crowley (David Devens), identical twin sister Karen Knowles (Randall) of Westford, MA, sister Donna Castellano of Westford, MA, brother Brian St. Onge (Jocelyn) of Barrrington, NH, grandson Geoffrey Rollins (Ashley Davis), great grandsons James Rollins and Chase Rollins, and many nieces and nephews.

Pam was preceded in death by her parents and her good friend and mother-in-law, Elizabeth (Lil/Nana) Crowley.

Family and friends will gather to honor and remember Pam for a period of visitation on Thursday March 3, 2022 from 5:00 pm until 7:00 pm in the Badger Funeral Home, 45 School Street, Groton. Her funeral mass will be celebrated on Friday March 4, 2022 at 10:00 am in Blessed Trinity Parish- St. Catherine of Alexandria Church, 107 North Main Street, Westford. Interment will follow in St. Catherine Cemetery, Westford.