Isaac Bruce Crow
In Memoriam 1952 - 26 March 2020
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| Ainab 1966: (F Row) Bruce Crow, Ralph Crow, David Dodge, Kendall Landis, (back row from R to L) Joan Landis, Ann Gordon, Doris Dodge, David Gordon |
FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2020
Memory Eternal! + Archpriest Isaac Crow
Memory eternal! With great sadness and with greater hope in the resurrection, Archpriest Isaac Crow, 67, pastor of Ss. Peter and Paul Church in Potomac, Maryland, has fallen asleep in the Lord. He had fought cancer valiantly on and off over the years. Father Isaac entered eternal rest on Thursday, March 26, 2020, survived by his Khouriyee, Dolly, and their son, Basil. His family says Fr. Isaac hoped he had "a few more years left," but he accepted God's will and said "Thank God."
His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph says that Fr. Isaac "built a sterling reputation as a man of fervent prayer and strong faith. His gentle demeanor and kind heart left an indelible mark on the hearts of his many, many spiritual children." His Grace Bishop Thomas says that, in spite of the Coronavirus pandemic gripping the world, Fr. Isaac "placed all of his hope in God and recognized that He is the one in control. He was and still is an example to all of us on how we ought to live our lives in faith today and every day."
Father Isaac served as a priest in the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America for more than 30 years. He was born in Beirut, Lebanon, the youngest child of an American father and Lebanese mother. His undergraduate and graduate studies were undertaken at the American University of Beirut in the fields of anthropology, religious studies, and Middle East history.
Father Isaac lived for over thirty-two years in Lebanon and the Middle East and traveled extensively in the region. In Beirut, he worked as a translator and documentarist for the Middle East Council of Churches. Following an encounter with Metropolitan Georges (Khodr), the retired Metropolitan of the Archdiocese of Mt. Lebanon, he began to study Orthodox theology and became involved in the Antiochian Orthodox Youth Movement.
In 1982, he entered the Balamand Patriarchal Seminary (The St. John of Damascus Orthodox Institute of Theology) as a student. He graduated in 1987 and remained at the Balamand following the completion of his theological studies serving for three years as the librarian of the Institute. In 1989, at the height of the Lebanese Civil War, Fr. Isaac was received into the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America and ordained to the priesthood on September 10, 1989. He served the churches of St. George in Montreal, Quebec; Virgin Mary in Yonkers, New York; St. George in Lowell, Massachusetts, St. Mary in Pawtucket, Rhode Island; and finally Ss. Peter and Paul in Potomac.
Besides his wife and son, Fr. Isaac is survived by his brother Kenneth Crow and wife Margaret of Miami, FL; his brother Douglas Crow and wife Asna of Washington, D.C.; his cousin Keith Crow and family of Chicago, IL; and his aunt Cosette Nassif of Austin, TX, and family.
