Obituary of Jeffrey Andrew Kroessler

Jeffrey A. Kroessler, 71, historian / librarian of Sunnyside, NY, passed away at home on February 5, 2023 in Sunnyside, Queens, NY. A Memorial gathering will be held at Lynch Funeral Home located at 43-07 Queens Boulevard in Sunnyside, NY on Saturday, February 11 from 2-5 PM. Jeff was born in Brooklyn to Andrew and Isabel Kroessler on January 9, 1952. He attended Garden City High School. A graduate of Hobart and William Smith Colleges, he received a master's degree in history from New York University and doctorate in urban history from the CUNY Graduate Center. He was a Professor and Interim Chief Librarian at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He was long active in historic preservation issues in New York City with the Historic Districts Council and the Municipal Art Society; he was most recently president of the City Club of New York. He is the author of Sunnyside Gardens: Planning and Preservation in a Historic Garden Suburb (2021), which received critical acclaim in The New York Review of Books. He also authored The Greater New York Sports Chronology (2009) and New York, Year by Year (2002). He contributed to The Encyclopedia of New York City, The Encyclopedia of New York State, and Robert Moses and the Modern City: the Transformation of New York, and has published in Journal of Planning History, New York History, and Long Island History Journal. As a young child he spent many long summers at Camp Hawthorne in Raymond, Maine (1964-1971) and was awarded the James T Cross Award for Honor Camper in 1966. He developed a lifelong enjoyment of going to Maine and doing camp lakeside activities including sailing, canoeing and barbequing with family and friends at their camp on Raymond Pond. As a college student, he was on the Hobart swim & dive team and spent summers working as a lifeguard for the Town of Hempstead, Long Island. An avid gardener, he annually nurtured a unique array of coleus, geraniums, and other plants. He was a mentor to many students and a committed scholar. A book was always at his side as he loved reading. He was passionate about everything New York and imparted his historical expertise in many preservation related battles. He enjoyed holidays with family and friends and hosting and creating meals. He had a sharp sense of humor and a great laugh. He was kind, generous and loved. Jeff is survived by his loving wife of 22 years, Laura Heim; his brothers David Kroessler (Kathe) and Drew Kroessler (Helen) and many cherished nieces and nephews. Memorial donations may be made to Historic Districts Council (https://hdc.org) and John Jay College Library (Please contact Maria: mkiriakova@jjay.cuny.edu). Memorial gathering will be Saturday, February 11, 2023 from 2-5PM at Edward D. Lynch Funeral Home, Inc, 43-07 Queens Boulevard, Sunnyside, NY.