Bob Crew was born in Hamilton, ON, Sept. 18th, 1925. He moved with his family to a small farm on Caroline St., in Burlington, ON when he was still quite young. Prior to enlisting in the navy, he attended Burlington Central High School. After one year of high school he became an Ordinary Seaman with Canadian National Steamships based in Halifax.
Lying about his birthyear he enlisted May 3rd, 1943 as a stoker. He served overseas in the Atlantic theatre and then was transferred over to the Pacific theatre near Burma in the engine room of the Ontario, a light cruiser.
After the war he worked at National Steel Car and Bell telephone. Being an entrepreneur at heart, he saw an opportunity to get in as houses transitioned from coal heating to oil. He created Crew Fuel Oil to do the conversions and supply the oil. By the time he sold the company in 1968 he had half a dozen trucks working for him. Meantime fell in love with Mary Shirley Tunstead and they soon married and shared three children: Diana, Bill and Bob.
Not one to be idle for long he and a friend partnered to win a contract for garbage collection in the growing city of Burlington. Their company Diron Disposal held the contract for five years. At the same time, he was also developing a series of industrial malls at various sites and at one he started Crew’s Rent-All. Bob died suddenly of a heart attack Sept. 25th, 1994. He will be remembered for his entrepreneurial spirit, zest for life, love of his family and friends, and his mischievous Cheshire cat grin, as he asked a pretty waitress for a kiss, because it was his birthday.
