John Joseph McCrone, better known as “Jack” by those who knew him, passed away quietly on January 19, following a long battle with pneumonia. He was 76. Jack was a world-class businessman, a loving and dedicated husband and father, an international traveler, a volunteer and a solid pillar of support to everyone who knew him. Born in 1931 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, to William and Clare McCrone, Jack was the younger of two sons and spent his childhood and teen years in Scranton. After World War II, the family moved to Batavia, where William started a coal business. Alas, when Jack was just 17, his father died of a heart attack. Penniless, Jack begged the funeral director for help with William’s burial arrangements. This defining moment informed Jack’s lifelong iron will to succeed. Jack moved with his mother to Buffalo, New York, where he attended the University of Buffalo. The move allowed Jack and Clare to be closer to Jack’s brother’s family. In Buffalo, Jack met his one and only true love, Patricia. Living in the projects, dirt poor, working the third shift on the railroads to support his mother, Jack still graduated from college as president of his senior class. He was the first in his family to graduate from college. Wed in 1957, Jack and Patricia embarked on their nearly half-century marriage, as Jack started a sales job with Texaco, where he excelled. Promotion after promotion followed, and the couple moved from Buffalo to Elmira, New York, to Pittsburgh. During this time, he and Patricia adopted a baby boy, whom they named James Patrick. In 1967, Jack risked his secure and successful position at Texaco to work for a new oil company that he would help lead to global success. Imperial Oil & Grease hired Jack as a sales representative working solely on commission. Soon, he advanced to become Pittsburgh district sales manager, then regional manager for the North Central Region, and eventually general manager of North American Operations. Relocating his family to Pacific Palisades in 1979, Jack worked for Imperial from his home office and traveled to different countries, where he inspired those around him. He and his team continued to break sales records for Imperial until Jack left the company in 1996. In retirement, Jack stayed active by volunteering for the Diabetic Support Group at St. John’s Hospital and keeping close relations with the charities that he supported. Jack was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 46 years, Patricia, in December 2003. ‘Mom and Dad were able to travel all around the world because of the work that he did,’ said their son James. ‘It was their shared love of adventure that always made each trip memorable. Everywhere they went, they made new friends and deepened the friendships they had.’ Jack is survived by his son, James, and girlfriend Jennifer; nephews, Bill, Tim and Brian; and niece, Clare. Services will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday, February 18, at Saint Monica’s Church in Santa Monica. In lieu of flowers, arrangements will be made for donations to selected charities in Jack’s honor.
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