Wachusett’s David Crowley dies at the age of 69

David Crowley, one of the five Crowleys who operate Wachusett Mountain, died on Nov. 20 at the age of 69. (Wachusett Mountain)

When one thinks of Wachusett Mountain, it is only natural for the Crowley family to come to mind. The family has turned the Princeton, Mass., area into one of the best mid-sized mountains in the country.

David Crowley, one of the five siblings who make up the second generations of Crowleys, died Nov. 20 at the age of 69. His LinkedIn profile might have best described his role at Wachusett — “Ski Guy” — as it was much simpler than filling out each title he had during his decades-long career.

“He and his siblings (Ralph, Chris, Jeff, Carolyn) are an amazing team in carrying on the vision that their father started when he assumed the lease rights to the mountain. He had a great vision of the mountain,” said Tom Meyers, who spent more than 25 years leading the marketing department. “They saw that, and they carried that torch, but they really did it together. David had a lot of creativity and vision.”

He was the one behind the “Wa-Wa-Wachusett” jingle more than 30 years ago and the mountain suites at the expanded base lodge around the turn of the century. The private boxes came about because of the construction of Gillette Stadium. Crowley thought there was a demand for something like luxury boxes in the lodge, according to Meyers, who wrote a glowing tribute to Crowley on Wachusett’s web page.

“He really had great intuition about what was right for the ski area and what was right for the customers,” he said. “He had a great sense of humor and he made working there really fun because you were part of the family.”

With his four siblings helping run the mountain, there always was a lot of family around, and the sense of humor extended off the mountain as well.

“He was so funny, and we would always have a good time,” said Wachusett marketing director and Crowley’s nephew Chris Stimpson. “I would always hang out at their place to watch Patriots games, and he was hilarious. He was so hard to keep up with because he was so sharp with the comebacks. You really had to be on top of your game.”

Crowley had been diagnosed in the past few years with progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare type of dementia. While PSP robbed Crowley’s ability to get around and communicate as freely as he once did, he did learn how to sit-ski with the help of the Wachusett Adaptive Program staff.

The third annual David Crowley Race to Cure PSP to benefit the Mass General Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Clinic and the MGH Frontotemporal Disorders Unit is scheduled for March 1.