08/10/2026
Billy Lee Crowder passed away peacefully in his sleep on August 9, 2026 after a brief illness, with his wife by his side.
He was born January 4, 1934, to William Henry Crowder and Bessie Lee Calhoun Crowder in Greensboro, NC. He graduated from Greensboro High School, received a B.S. from Duke University in Chemistry and a Ph.D. from Cornell University in Physical Chemistry. He served on active duty in the US Army from 1954 to 1957, continuing in the Army Reserves until 1962. He worked briefly at Union Carbide, before spending over 25 years at the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, as a research scientist and Director of Manufacturing Research. During this time, he received numerous patents and Outstanding Contribution awards; he finished his career at SEMATECH, a research consortium, commuting weekly to Texas for three years.
He married Doris Elizabeth, a native New Yorker, in 1964, and they settled in Putnam Valley, NY, where they have lived for the last 60 years. He had a son with Doris, Scott William, who resides in Pleasantville, NY. In addition, he had two daughters from a previous marriage, Donna Lee, who resides in Missouri, and Beatrice, who resides in Arizona.
In addition to being a devoted husband and loving father and grandfather, he dedicated much of his time to service. He served in many volunteer town positions: Planning Board, Chairman of the Conservation Council, and Chairman of the Master Plan Committee; he also served one term as a Putnam County Legislator. Much of his service was centered around his faith: he volunteered as a chaplain at the Hudson Valley Hospital, was a lay leader at Grace United Methodist Church, served as the Registrar at the NY Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. He was active in forming the Putnam Valley Community Food Pantry, which is housed in their church, and prepared and served meals each month for the residents of the Jan Peeks Homeless Shelter, most recently in July. In recognition of his contributions, he was honored with the Jim Gordon Award and Virginia Connelly Award, by the Town of Putnam Valley, and the Westchester County Senior Citizens Award. He loved to watch Yankee games, play chess and bowl with his group, the Bowling Dinosaurs.
In addition to his loving wife, Doris, he is survived by his son, Scott William (Sonia); his daughters, Donna Lee Means, and Beatrice Crowder (John); and his grandchildren, Rebecca Lee Means, and Koby and Ayden Crowder. He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, Thomas Jessie and William Henry Jr., as well as three nephews.
A memorial service is planned for Saturday, August 22 at noon at the Grace United Methodist Church, 337 Peekskill Hollow Road, Putnam Valley, NY 10579, with luncheon following. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Billy can be made to: the Putnam Valley Community Food Pantry, Grace United Methodist Church, the New York Philharmonic, or Habitat for Humanity.
