Anthony "Bud" O'Neil Croak. Jr.

On October 27, 1932, Dad was born to Anthony O’Neil Croak and Virginia Bergs Croak in St. Louis, MO.

Known as Buddy or Bud, he attended high school at St. Louis University HS, graduating in 1950. His first year in college took him to Denver to attend Regis College. Already 6’3”, he played center for the basketball team. From Denver, he went across country to complete his college education at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio. Here he gained his bachelor degree and completed ROTC in 1954. Later that year, Commissioned as a 2 ^nd Lieutenant in the Transportation Corps of the US Army, he started his distinguished military career. His numerous Command and Staff positions over the next 21 years took him to assignments in many US and oversees locations to include Seattle, San Marcos, Germany, Kentucky, Vietnam, Washington DC and New York. Despite all this travel, Dad completed his studies and earned his Master of Science in Administration from George Washington University in 1970 and attained the rank of Lt. Colonel. He retired in 1975. Along the way, was honored with many military decorations to include Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Air Medal with 10 Oak Leaf Clusters and V Device, Army Commendation Medal and many more. We are very proud of his service to our country and for freedom around the world.

His second career took him to the corporate world in Toledo where he was employed at Owens Corning Fiberglass Headquarters as Director of Transportation. After many years, Dad decided to retire for good.  At that point they were ready for a warm, comfortable location which took them to Plano, Texas. Here they would be close to their daughter Terri and Son, Phil and his family. It also provided a nice location for their eldest son, Neil and family to visit.  Retirement also allowed Mom and Dad to travel to many exotic, once-in-a-lifetime locations.

Family meant everything to Dad. He was married for 59 years to Marjorie Mittong, Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Foltz Mittong, in St. Louis. She was the love of his life and the twinkle in his eye. He also had a profound love for his Son’s wives, Kelly and Terry, which he accepted with open arms as though they were his own. He also cherished his son-in-law, Henry Moana, who was married to his only Daughter, Terri, before she sadly passed away from Cancer at the early age of 50. But, when it came down to who really gave him pleasure, and a whole new level of love, it was his grandchildren. Courtney, Laura, Connor and Bailey were at the very top of the list and he didn’t get enough time with them. We are all very sorry that he will not be able to witness the next stages of their lives. But he made the most of the time he had with us and for that we are grateful.

Dad was known as a staunch conservative and watched Fox for great lengths of time every evening.   One of the only things he liked more on TV was watching the Dallas Cowboys. He loved playing golf and recorded two hole-in-ones. When he could no longer play, he really enjoyed watching matches on the weekends. He was a faithful Catholic and rarely missed attending Mass with his wife, Marge, every week. Dad loved going out to dinner with Marge. He appreciated fine dining and was always up for going out with the family when the opportunity happened. When not dining out or having a wonderful meal prepared by Mom, he would turn into The Grill Master. He was known far and wide for his grilling superiority. Most of all, Dad was known as a fun-loving person, competitive golfer against his sons, family man and loving husband. Son, Brother, Husband, Father, Father-in-law, Uncle, and Grandfather. He will always be missed. But we all have wonderful memories that will last forever.

He is survived by his sister Ginny (Croak) Kamp; wife, Marjorie Croak; sons, Neil Croak and his wife Terry (Collins) and Phil Croak and his wife Kelly (Hamlin); and grandchildren, Courtney, Laura, Connor and Bailey Croak.

There will be a Mass of the Resurrection at 11:00 A.M. at Prince of Peace Catholic Church, 5100 W. Plano Parkway, Plano, Texas 75093 on Thursday, September 27, 2018. A Visitation and Rosary will be prior to the service at 10:30 A.M.  A light lunch will immediately follow.

Burial, with full military honors, will be that afternoon at 2:30 P.M. at the Dallas Ft. Worth National Cemetery, 2000 Mountain Creek Parkway, Dallas, Texas 75211.

In-lieu of flowers, the family requests that you make a donation to your favorite charity in Bud’s honor.