Fred Knights Crissey

Fred K. Crissey was born November 24, 1932 and died at home on January 27, 2022 in the care of his wife (Jan) from COVID-19 after an extended battle with Parkinson’s. He lived a long and productive life with many noteworthy experiences including military service, a stint in Canadian minor league baseball, raising a family of eight children, and touching the lives of countless students through his tireless service as teacher and coach. He was the head men’s baseball coach of the Plymouth Canton Chiefs from 1972-93 and has been inducted into the Canton High School Hall of Fame and the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Through coaching, he mentored generations of student athletes, helping them garner collegiate scholarships and inspiring many to pursue teaching and coaching careers, thus extending his legacy and impact on generations. One of his joys later in life was visits and correspondence with past students and players who expressed that he had influenced their lives for the better. Fred was one-of-a-kind and known for his high standards, hard-driving approach, wit, charisma, coaching/teaching talent, booming voice (especially when fired up), and his penchant for assigning people creative nicknames. He sometimes employed colorful teaching and coaching tactics, including catching the attention of distracted students by tossing a racketball their way or having a class run around the building in the middle of winter with no coats to refresh their energy. Throughout his life, he was an avid reader with an impressive vocabulary and knowledge of history, he did a daily crossword puzzle, he loved dogs, ice cream bars and a good seer sucker suit, and he was always up for watching an episode of Jeopardy or a baseball game. He is preceded in death by his mother (Hattie), his father (Ferdinand), and his first wife (Marjorie nee' Love). He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Janice (nee’ Richardson), eight children (Catherine, Caroline, Christopher, Colleen, Joseph, Ellen, Katelyn, and Emily), and five grandchildren (Mark, Max, Benson, Amelie, and Curtis). Private cremation services were arranged by Vermeulen-Sajewski Funeral Home in Plymouth. A public "Celebration of Life" will be held at a later date. Memorials may be made to the Michigan Parkinson Foundation, 30400 Telegraph Road, Suite 150, Bingham Farms, Michigan 48025-5819. To share a memory, please use the share a memory tab on this webpage.

Fred Knights Crissey

November 24, 1932 - January 27, 2022