An author, selectman, active volunteer and motel owner who dedicated his life to the island of Vinalhaven died on Dec. 27.
Phil Crossman was 81.
Crossman was not born on the island, his obituary and writings made a point to state, but his family history there went back centuries and he loved its community “as fiercely and faithfully” as if he had been.
Throughout his life, he was a familiar face and active presence around Vinalhaven, where he was involved in projects, businesses and public life for decades. In addition to his energy, islanders remembered him for his wit, keen observations and generosity.
“I often described him as being the sun,” said his wife, Elaine Crossman. “He was just a giant ball of energy.”
Though not born on Vinalhaven, Crossman mostly grew up on the island, served in the Navy and attended the University of Maine, according to his obituary. He worked as a builder, hardware store owner, wine seller and, for one season, a restaurant owner. Crossman was the longtime owner and operator of the Tidewater Motel on Main Street, which his parents ran before him.
He served on the island’s select board and helped found its Chamber of Commerce, a historic preservation group, wine shop and a storybook trail through Vinalhaven Land Trust. He performed around the island with his a capella group, Phil ’n the Blanks, and sang at weddings and funerals.
“He leaves behind a legacy of kindness, generosity, humor, justice, creativity, entrepreneurship, and community-mindedness that will long be felt on the island he loved,” his obituary reads.
Crossman also observed island life and told its stories through columns in the island’s newsletter, The Wind, and the statewide Working Waterfront newspaper. The latter led him to a book contract for what became “Away Happens” after a University of New England Press editor overheard an employee laughing in the break room and asked her what she was reading, according to a 2018 profile of Crossman in The Maine Mag.
“That’s the beauty of living here,” Crossman told the magazine. “There are so many interesting people doing funny things on the island, it’s easy to write stories.”
That book of essays was followed by another volume of stories and reflections, “As the Crow Flies,” in 2019.
He was curious about everyone and everything, his wife said. Crossman had a lifelong interest in human nature but was never judgmental, and she saw him as brilliantly perceptive at a level beyond most.
“He was loved by very many people,” said Pamela Alley, the island’s select board chair, who grew up with Crossman and his brothers. “He was generous, and he was always around town.”
On the select board, he was a thoughtful member who was passionate about whatever he believed would make the town a better place, Alley said. That included efforts to repair rough sidewalks, create a historic downtown district and preserve the island’s galamander, an old wagon used for ferrying granite in the stonecutting days.
He helped form the Historic Downstreet preservation group and served as its chair. Crossman met with reclusive artist Robert Indiana about trying to preserve the decaying former Odd Fellows Hall the artist lived in for decades, and remained interested in the building’s preservation after his death. Years before that, Crossman once repaired and reinstalled a window there after island youths broke it, he told The Maine Mag.
In recent years, the Star of Hope Foundation has sought to provide arts programming from Indiana’s estate and spent millions on restoring the structure. It paused that work in March because of engineering, financial and planning issues, according to its website.
Crossman’s exuberance also extended to helping others, Alley said, which he was “always” doing, from offering people in need a place to stay at the motel or running errands for them on the mainland.
His sense of humor always stood out; Alley recalled one Halloween when he came running out from between two houses dressed as Dracula and scared her half to death. His wife remembers wild sledding trips for the kids and the “ice cream caravan,” when he’d load up the family car with children for an ice cream trip.
“He was just a magical human,” she said.
A livestreamed memorial service was planned for 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 10 at the island’s Union Church. Another will be held on July 19 at the Boyden Barn on Vinalhaven.
