Warren N. McCroskey, age 101, died Saturday May 21st, at Lutheran Life Villages Pine Valley. He resided in Fort Wayne for many years.

Warren was born July 13, 1920 in Corning, California, the youngest of eight children. He graduated in 1942 with a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He went to work for General Electric in Schenectady, NY. During WWII, he was instrumental in designing the first undersea cable. This enabled direct secret communication to the Pacific Fleet without using radio, which would be intercepted by the Japanese. After the war, he had several co-patents with colleagues, one of which is in use every day to detect overheating in hermetic motors found in refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners.

After 36 years of service, Warren retired as an Engineering Manager from GE in 1978. He then went to work for Copeland Corporation for another six years, and in retirement did occasional computer work and engineering consulting. He also worked on family history for 30 years, and published the McCroskey Family History through Manchester College, a copy of which is in the Allen Country Library Genealogy Dept. Warren was a member of Eta Kappa Nu engineering honor society, GE Elfun Society, GE Quarter Century Club, and Covenant Methodist Church.

Warren was very active in church and community affairs for many years. He enjoyed gardening and even kept a backyard orchard well into his nineties. He loved his family and his dogs. At home, he was known for singing, telling jokes, and watching sports. He was a good cook—he made the best oatmeal raisin cookies ever, and his turkey stuffing was legendary.

Warren was married to Clara Emily Wrana, with whom he had seven children. After their divorce in 1975, he married Louise Maxine (Carroll) Heaston. Clara and Louise preceded him in death, as did two daughters (Susan Metzger and Carol Hall), seven brothers and sisters, and his parents, Azalea and Daniel McCroskey. He is survived by his children Daniel McCroskey, Marsha McCroskey, Nancy (Duane) Mantick, William (Brenda) McCroskey, 22 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren. He will be greatly missed by all of his family, friends, and fellow residents and staff of Lutheran Life Villages.

Funeral Services will be held on Friday, May 27, 2022 at Covenant United Methodist Church, Fort Wayne, with viewing from 10:30 to 11:30 and service at 11:30 AM EDT. Interment will be in Riverview Cemetery, Allen County, Indiana. Preferred Memorials are to Lutheran Life Villages Pine Valley, and Covenant United Methodist Church.

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