CROSIER, CAREY
TOMBS
02/07/41 – 26/03/22

Carey Graves Crosier, while surrounded by family and friends, peacefully breathed his last on March 26, 2022…we suspect he was avoiding yet another Bronco losing season.

Carey was born in El Paso, Texas in 1941 and lived in the Denver area for his golden 80s. From being a nationally ranked Gasser in the 1960s, to being an ironworker, oiler and buffalo herder, he was a real jack-of-all-trades.

Carey’s greatest legacy (besides his amazing family) was his crane business. Jiffy Lift and Carey’s Custom Crane were names everyone in the business knew; so many of the city’s monuments have been so proudly hoisted into place by him personally or by one of his cranes. For nearly 40 years, Carey was a proud member of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local Union No. 9. When he retired just shy of 4 decades old, he was dubbed “always tough as nails” and all who knew him often wondered how he survived falls, spills and medical ailments that would have brought down any other normal man.

Carey was a man of few hobbies, but a true lover of Ford coupes and ’30s hotrod shows, Sunday home games at 2 p.m., NASCAR, chocolate chip ice cream at the mint, the smell of lilac blossoms in the spring and looked forward to golf season… only televised women’s LPGA golf because the men’s was too boring.

Affectionately known as “Fossil,” Carey will forever be remembered for his stubbornness, cynical attitude toward Democrats, not holding back his opinion, and uncanny knack for recalling the punch lines of the most faded blonde jokes and inappropriate.

Authentic and erroneously giving, some of Carey’s greatest gifts were sharing valuable life lessons: having the best lawn in the neighborhood, doing her best to cut across every two weeks; move two boards to the left if your hook shot doesn’t produce a solid strike; while driving, keep your can of beer in a black koozie between your legs. But more importantly, his mantra was genuine in reminding us all: give the shirt off your back to someone in need and only surround yourself with those who will do the same.

Try as you might, you will never find another man whose heart was so pure and so golden.

Carey is survived by her loving family; daughter Kimberly ‘Pooh Bear’ Strand (Brian), son Christopher ‘Uncle Cookie’ Crosier, son Murrey ‘the Kid’ Kehrlein; grandchildren Ryan ‘the Boy’ VanEtten and Teagan ‘TeeGee’ VanEtten (undeniably his favorite); ex-wife Kay ‘Froggie’ Crosier and a host of cousins ​​who were all more like siblings.

He will be sorely missed not only by his adoring family, but also by a group of friends he adored and treasured deeply – most of whom he had not-so-PC nicknames.

There will be no funeral or visitation, as his beloved daughter refuses to honor her request to have him stuffed and placed standing in the corner of the room with a Miller light in hand.

Instead, cremation will take place and the family will share the ashes. An urn will be interred alongside her father, Robert Lee Crosier, in a private ceremony at Linn Cemetery in Greeley Colorado, on the Crosier family grounds. The other urn will be kept safe until its ashes can be used to create a massive firework/death shell, large enough to blow the lid off the manhole during the 4th of July festivities in the dead end.

Following her wishes and honoring her lack of sentiment or religiosity, the family will hold a celebration of life, with no religious theme.

Please don’t wear black, it will piss him off.

Sunday, April 24, 2022
Hilton Denver Inverness Hotel Lower Level – Breckenridge Brewery
1 p.m. – 4 p.m. | during the Talladega race, his favorite track