John Croasdell Obituary, Death – It is with the utmost sorrow that we must inform you of the passing of John Croasdell. He passed away suddenly on Christmas Eve when he was at home, and we are sorry to have to break this news to you. During this time, our thoughts and prayers are with each and every one of you. Hundreds of RGS graduates were able to benefit from John’s leadership and coaching on the playing fields of a variety of sports over the course of that time period as a direct result of his lengthy tenure as Head of Physical Education at RGS, which lasted from 1982 until 2007.
This tenure spanned the time period of 1982 until 2007. It was because of his dedication to RGS, the students, and his fellow teachers that he was able to maintain his position here for such a significant amount of time. A number of his employees have already reached out to him to express their sympathies at the news and to chat about the good times they had with John during the time they spent together in their time together in the workplace. The amount of time he had spent working at RGS was proof of the commitment he had shown to the institution. John had already established himself as an exceptionally skilled rugby player when he enrolled at RGS.
He played rugby for Loughborough Colleges and Fylde RFC, and he also earned a cap for England’s Under-23 squad. In addition, he was a member of England’s senior team. During the time that John spent playing on the field, he became known as “Crusher” because to the rock-solid performance that he turned in as a tighthead prop. This led to the moniker. These charming nicknames were given to the RGS teachers by the students who were enrolled in their classes.
In spite of this, John was able to keep his connections to the organization alive in two different ways: first, through his daughter Laura, who was a student at AOS (1992-2001), and second, by becoming an RGS grandparent at The Grange. John went into retirement about the same time that RGS and AOS were merging their activities, but he kept his links to the School through his daughter even after he officially left his position there. In recognition of the 25 years of devoted service that he has provided to RGS throughout the course of his career, the institution has posted a nameboard in the Philip Sawyer Library on campus that may be seen by anybody who visits the building.