Richard B. Cratty ’53

Richard B. Cratty passed away on January 16, 2025. Richard “Dick” was born in Bangor, Maine, at the Bangor General Hospital, to parents Reginald and Mary Cratty. Dick attended grammar school in Bangor. He then attended Admiral Farragut Naval Academy Prep School. Subsequently he graduated in 1953 from Maine Maritime Academy.

In the Korean War, Dick was a Navy lieutenant and a navigator on a hospital ship. Dick returned to Bangor after his tour of duty. In 1954 he married Frances Ross. Shortly after, they started a family.

Dick opened a bowling alley in Bangor, Bowlmor Lanes, to cater to the local service members since he was a Navy vet. In 1961 a job offer from American Export Lines set Dick’s course for a long and successful career in the shipping industry. The family moved from Maine to New Jersey, since Dick’s office was in New York. In 1967 as Dick’s career progressed, he gained industry notoriety and was offered a significant position with Kaiser shipping in Oakland, California. Due to this, the family moved to San Rafael, California. In the mid-1970s, due to a change in family dynamics, Dick moved to Los Angeles for another job in the shipping industry, where he continued to excel. For the next three decades, Dick formed and was part of many successful shipping industry ventures. He also received his certification as a maritime arbitrator. In 2015, he and his first wife, Frances Ross, decided that they wanted to spend their final years together. Dick moved to Santa Rosa, California, where he resided until he passed.

He was preceded in death by Scott and Christopher Cratty. He is survived by sons, Rick and wife, Jill, and Tim and wife, Julie; daughters, Samantha and Meghan; grandchildren and one great-grandson; and his half siblings, Louise Holmes and Jim Cratty.