William Grace Crane, Esq. , 87 of the Town of Poughkeepsie, passed away suddenly at his residence on Tuesday, July 2, 2019.
Born in Manhattan on March 25, 1932, he was the son of Thomas and Rosalind Illions Crane.
He was a graduate of Manhattan College with a B.A. in Liberal Arts with Honors and St. John's University School of Law as Co-Valedictorian with Mario Cuomo. He proudly served his country with the US Army from 1953-1955.

Admitted to the New York State and Federal Bar in 1958, he practiced as a trial lawyer for 61 years in Albany, New York City, White Plains and Poughkeepsie. He was also employed by the the Unified NYS Court System for 35 years, retiring as the Chief Clerk of the Dutchess County Surrogates Court under the Honorable George Bernhardt. In addition, he successfully defended his client in the landmark United State Supreme Court Decision Brady v. Corbin 495 U.S. 508 (1990) reaffirming the Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution.
On August 21, 1958 at St. Denis Church in Yonkers, NY, Bill married Catherine Ann Polsenski. His beloved wife predeceased him on December 29, 2012.
William is survived by his four children; William G. Crane, Jr. D.O. of Watertown, NY, Matthew D. Crane, M.P.A., M.F.A, C.P.A., Brooklyn NY, Genevieve M. Crane, Phoenix, AZ and Bridget C. Crane, M.P.A., Westminster, MA.; 12 grandchildren; 1 great grandson and his brother, Peter Sokolow and sister-in-law Salvatrice. He was predeceased by his son James F. Crane.
Visitation will be Tuesday, July 9 from 4-7 pm at Parmele, Auchmoody & Schoonmaker Funeral Home, 110 Fulton Ave., Poughkeepsie. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Wednesday, July 10 at 10 am from St. Martin De Porres Church, 118 Cedar Valley Rd., Poughkeepsie. Entombment will follow in Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made in Bill's memory to St. Martin De Porres Church.