William R. Cronin

William Royall (Bill) Cronin died Friday, February 13 at Hart Heritage Estates in Forest Hill after a brief illness. He had lived the last four years with his wife at Brightview Avondell in Bel Air, MD. Born in Baltimore, MD on December 10, 1921, he was the son of the late Maryland State Senator John Wilmer and Mary Sigourney (Ferrell) Cronin. Mr. Cronin graduated from Aberdeen Public Schools, the Jacob Tome School, Johns Hopkins University as a civil engineering student and the University of Baltimore Law School. He was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1951. Mr Cronin's college years were interrupted by World War II. After receiving commission at APG he served in the Army Ordnance as a personnel officer in the European Theater from 1943-1946. Before and after the war he worked at Glen L. Martin while continuing his degrees in business and law. In 1948 he married Charlotte Virginia Garretson, while finishing law school and working for the family newspaper, The Harford Democrat and Aberdeen Enterprise. Mr. Cronin was President of the Maryland/Delaware/D.C. Press Association from 1972-1973 and expanded the paper to include coverage for Aberdeen Proving Ground. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Newspaper Publishers Association and the couple accompanied the group on many international tours and newspaper study groups. After the sale of the newspaper, he joined the Baltimore Asphalt Paving Company and remained there until the company was sold, but continued with his own companies RP Construction and C-Saw doing much highway cutting in Annapolis and Baltimore. With newspaper ink always in his veins, he continued with his photography and videos for company Christmas dinners. Retiring in 2000, he joined the staff of the Aberdeen Room Archives and Museum. Many of the successes of the museum he shared with his wife and curator. Continuing with his photography, he covered community events for documentation at the museum's archives with over 25, 000 photos. Mr. Cronin was also a member of Grace United Methodist Church, the Maryland State Bar Association and the Aberdeen Fire Department. He was the first editor of the "Arrivederci" yearbook (1938), was a member of the Harford County Historic Preservation Commission (2002), was honored as a Harford County Living Treasure in 2008, was inducted into the Maryland Senior Hall of Fame in 2009, received the Harford Historical Society Archer Fellow Award in 2010 and the Aberdeen Rotary Club's Citizenship Award in 2013. In addition to Charlotte Cronin, his wife of 67 years, he is survived by his son, John G. Cronin and wife Becky Clark of Baltimore; daughter, Cheryl Cronin Levitan and husband Dr. Dean Levitan of Visalia, CA; grandchildren, Carolyn and Gregory both of Los Angeles, CA, and his sister Anne Cronin Keith of Melbourne, FL. In addition to his parents he was predeceased by his older sister, Mary Cronin Wolfe. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Aberdeen Room Archives and Museum. A memorial service is being planned. Funeral Home: Tarring-Cargo Funeral Home 333 South Parke Street Aberdeen, MD US 21001