27-05-2025
Ex-NY Rep. Joe Crowley's 25-year-old Marine son dies from rare cancer: ‘Genuine love of life'
Ex-New York Rep. Joe Crowley's 25-year-old son — a Marine and Naval Academy grad — has died from a rare cancer, his grieving dad revealed over the Memorial Day weekend.
The Democratic former Big Apple congressman disclosed in 2023 that his oldest son, Cullen, had been diagnosed with desmoplastic small round cell tumors just seven months after he graduated from the prestigious military academy as a second lieutenant.
'With heavy hearts, Kasey, Kenzie, Liam, and I share the passing of our beloved son and brother, Cullen Crowley,' Joe Crowley posted to X on Sunday, referring to his wife and two other kids.
'When we think of Cullen, we can't help but smile. He radiated an infectious and genuine love of life — one that lifted the spirits of everyone around him,' Crowley wrote.
'[Cullen] became a Midshipman in 2018, a Marine in 2022, and continued his service at Quantico until retiring in 2024 following his diagnosis,' Crowley wrote.
Cullen retired from the Marine Corps last year as a first lieutenant.
Crowley repped the Bronx and Queens before being shockingly trounced by then-political newcomer Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2018.
Crowley lost the primary to AOC the same night he first dropped Cullen off at the Naval Academy, the ex-rep told The Hill in 2022.
In 2023, Cullen underwent '15 hours of surgery' to remove tumors in his abdomen and kidney. The cancer had already spread to the young man's bones, but his dad said they believed he still had a fighting chance.
'He stayed strong throughout — just as he has since his diagnosis,' Crowley wrote at the time of his son after surgery.
'He's a Marine after all.'
On Sunday, the father said of Cullen, 'He never let the odds define him.
'Instead, he met each day with the same joy and gratitude for life.'
