James B. Crego
Bradenton, Florida
March 29, 1948 - April 26, 2024
JAMES B. CREGO
James Baylis Crego, 76, passed away with grace and at peace at Tidewell House Hospice in Bradenton, Florida in the early hours of the morning, Friday, April 26, 2024. Jim entered the world the day after Easter on March 29, 1948 at Blodgett Memorial Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the second child and son of Robert J. Crego and Patricia Baylis Crego who predeceased him.
He is survived by two sisters: his beloved sister, best friend and soulmate, Susan Elizabeth (Crego) Hopkins (William C. Hopkins, Jr.) of Elizabeth, Colorado, and Mary Stewart (Crego) Boulden of Grand Rapids, Michigan. A nephew, Christopher Todd Boulden, and nieces Stacy Leigh (Boulden) Bartol and Andrea Ashley (Boulden) Archambeau also survive. Jim was named after his uncle, James J. Baylis, his mother's brother who was killed in action early in WWII in North Africa. He bore his uncle's name with honor and humility.
Jim attended Oakdale Elementary School in Grand Rapids, MI, Jefferson School and Manistee High School (Class of 1967) in Manistee, MI where he lettered all four years in football and track, and Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City, MI.
He played as much tennis as he could in high school, more so in college with early morning tennis matches with his good friend, Brian Block, whose early death from cancer at age 20 Jim mourned the remainder of his life.
Jim was a person from the age of 7 who knew what, where and how he wanted to spend his life: with boats, on the water, having been introduced to sailing in 1953 when his parents purchased a John Alden yawl they sailed on Lake Michigan as a family. He happily lived his dream and built a rewarding career around boats and the sea, but not before dabbling in the business sector working alongside his father at Tenneco in New York City's iconic Chrysler Building. He had a successful career in sales at Toronto Paper Board in Steubenville, OH and Foster Paper Company in Utica, NY, both owned and operated by Robert J. Crego.
Jim became a registered yacht broker in 1985, the same year he purchased his 35' Chris Craft sloop "Sea Horse". He was employed by Spencer Yachts in West Palm Beach prior to sailing and delivering sailing yachts throughout the Caribbean and United States.
For a dozen years, Jim captained a Rybovich Sport Fishing yacht and a small fleet of vessels, shuttling between South Florida and Camden/Rockport, Maine, an area he fell in love with. He was a service writer for Viking Yachts in West Palm Beach and yard manager at Marlow Yachts in Palmetto, FL until retiring to enjoy Sea Horse. Jim and Sea Horse undertook a solo sail to Cuba in 1999, staying at Hemingway Marina, exploring Havana and the island, enjoying Cuban architecture, cuisine, music, classic cars, and the Cuban culture.
Prior to Jim's foray into the business world, Jim boarded a Greek freighter in NYC bound for Southampton, England in the Fall of 1970. In London, he purchased a 3-speed BSA bicycle, cycled to Southampton, ferried across the English Channel to Calais, France. From Calais, he cycled to Paris, over the Pyrenees Mountains to Spain and Portugal where his cycling odyssey came to an abrupt end after contracting hepatitis. He continued to cycle aboard the same BSA bicycle throughout his life. He made two subsequent trips to England in his 40s and 50s.
Like his father, animals were instinctively drawn to Jim. His rescues number well into the 100s: dogs, cats, turtles, squirrels, injured animals left on the road to die. Jim was exceptionally fond of his childhood dog, a liver and white English Springer Spaniel "Treve" who accompanied Jim everywhere. Jim's Black Lab "Bear" was also a cherished companion. He adored his "niece", his sister Susan's black and tan polydactyl tabby, "Chelsea Rose".
Jim's inherent optimism, affability and genuine interest in others magnetically drew people to him. He will be sorely missed and remembered by scores of friends, fellow sailors, acquaintances, and the people he encountered in his daily life who were captivated by and drawn to the light Jim naturally projected wherever he happened to be. He leaves behind a legacy of love and caring for others.
There are no words for how greatly Jim will be missed by Susan. A sibling bond like no other. Inseparable from the moment they were introduced. Jim takes a substantial piece of Susan's heart with him and remains profoundly loved. Love Never Dies.
Inurnment will be private in Grand Rapids, Michigan where Jim will join his beloved mother, maternal grandparents, and Uncle Jim who was repatriated in 1948 two months after Jim's birth.
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May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face
and the rains fall soft upon your fields,
and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
* * *
Home is the sailor, Home from the sea
