His Last Meeting

It was only fitting that Bill Crooks' funeral be held on Valentine's Day, First Selectman Tim Herbst said Monday at the service.

"Today, Bill Crooks will be laid to rest on Feb. 14, a day we celebrate love. Bill Crooks loved so many and showed compassion. Bill loved his friends and showed compassion for them every day," Herbst said at the funeral mass at St. Theresa Parish on Main Street.

Crooks, 72, died suddenly Feb. 9 just hours before a Board of Finance meeting. But he called from the hospital and asked Vice Chairman Mark Smith to go ahead with the meeting.

In addition loving jai alai and the Connecticut casinos, he ardently supported athletics at Trumbull High School and his alma mater, the University of Michigan.

"The Wolverines have lost their most dedicated fan," Herbst said.

Crooks enjoyed gambling, and, added the first selectman, "Bill taught me how to play blackjack."

Crooks also joked that he spent so much money at Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods, which are run by Native Americans, that, "instead of a summer home, he owned a few teepees."

Crooks was also known to appreciate practical jokes, even when played on him. When he wanted to join the Germania Schwaben Club in Bridgeport, he was told he needed to learn to sing a song in German. He memorized it, and on the big day, was ready to perform.

"No one had more fun from that that [his wife] Delores," Herbst said.

When he was diagnosed with diabetes and had to cut out salt from his diet, she put covers inside the salt shakers. The ruse worked.

But all joking aside, Crooks loved his work and "he always produced an honest budget," Herbst said.

Crooks served 36 years as the Board of Education's business administrator, from 1966 to 2003, and later joined the Board of Finance.

But he also got to know all levels of the school system. "Bill knew every principal, every teacher, every custodian, every cafeteria worker," Herbst said.

Everyone knew that Crooks loved Trumbull, from sneaking jelly doughnuts to living within a mile of his job. He was buried in the Long Hill cemetery on Middlebrooks Avenue, "close to the Main Street he loved so much," Herbst said.

"Over the course of last week, we have truly learned how Trumbull loved him," the first selectman added.

Herbst also recalled Crooks' generosity. When a friend of his went into a nursing home in Ansonia, Crooks visited him twice a week.

Politically, Crooks was bipartisan. A democrat for many years, he voted for John F. Kennedy in 1960 but became a republican in 2002, Herbst said. But his affiliation never kept from working with both parties.

"People knew he was a man of intelligence and integrity. He carried himself as a statesman while always maintaining a competitive spirit," Herbst said.

The first selectman, whom Crooks watched play football, credited the Crooks with his election. Crooks served as his campaign treasurer.

"Farewell my friend. May God bless you and may you truly watch over the town you loved," Herbst said.

The Rev. Brian P. Gannon, pastor of St. Theresa, praised Crooks for "his love for his family and his community."

"What does the human heart crave? Love. Love is the most powerful force in the universe," Gannon said.

Crooks is survived by his wife, three daughters and three son-in-laws, five grandchildren and several nieces and nephews and cousins.