David Anthony Crossett

It seems almost everyone in Seaford knew of our dad even though most had never met him. You see, David Anthony Crossett was a cyclist, but not in the traditional sense. He rode a recumbent; an elongated contraption made of metal and rubber that looks more like a lawn chair balanced atop two lopsided wheels than the sleek upright bicycles that most people think of when they hear the term.
He purchased his first recumbent sight unseen in the mid 1990s, and it’s entirely possible that he was the first person in lower York County to own one. Wearing his regular street clothes and donning a floppy hat to protect his head from the sun if not the pavement, he spent the next 30 years gliding along paved roads from Seaford to Williamsburg. He sped along at a brisk but comfortable pace to get the cardiovascular exercise his doctor ordered while mentally documenting changes in the neighborhood day after day, year after year, mile after mile.
Dad turned 86 years old in March and passed away peacefully from natural causes while surrounded by his family in the early afternoon of Sept. 15, 2026. He is survived by his daughter Kenya Crossett Finley and her husband Thomas Charlton Finley, his son John Kevin Crossett and his wife Jessica Ellen Brown Crossett and his grandkids Madison Paige Finley and Elden Anthony Crossett. He was preceded in death by his wife, Becky Forbes Crossett, and daughter, Shawn Crossett Benegar.
While he racked up hundreds of thousands of road miles on his bike, sailing was Dad’s true passion. Sailboats held a special place in his heart, first in rescued dinghies that carried him across Biscayne Bay when he was a boy all the way to a lovingly used 35-footer named Gator that called the lower Chesapeake Bay home. Following a warm summer breeze on a leisurely sail around Goodwin Island at the mouth of the York River was among his favorite pastimes.
Dad graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in mechanical engineering and spent his professional career at Newport News Shipbuilding. He enjoyed the work, but it didn’t define him. His garage was his happy place. It’s where he made magic from wood, fiberglass and epoxy. It’s the place where “the boys” would meet on Sunday mornings to tell lies and place bets on unfinished projects. It’s where the buzz of his table saw turned his imagination into reality. No job was too small or too farfetched.
A folding lemonade stand for his granddaughter. Done.
A utility trailer for his grandson to pull behind the lawnmower. No problem.
A new laminated rudder for his best friend to replace the broken original. Sure thing.
Driving through Seaford with him was like partaking in a private museum tour with a curator who spent a lifetime building his collection. We pass by the first house he designed and built. It’s a one-story brick rancher that resides near the end of Robanna Drive. Fun fact, he lofted a 36-foot trimaran in the attic of that house and later used the lines to build the boat. A mile or so away on Back Creek Road sits another house he designed for a friend’s son who wanted to build his family’s first home.
A small racing dinghy sat damaged and rotting for years in an overgrown meadow after falling off its trailer and sliding along I-64. It received a new fiberglass keel, a fresh coat of paint and now sits in a neighbor’s front yard waiting to be sailed again.
And inside the homes of family and friends live dozens of cabinets, desks, tables and other furniture containing toolmarks that highlight Dad’s bespoke work and reminds their owners of their importance in his life.
The list goes on and on.
David Anthony Crossett was a cyclist, a sailor and a builder of things. He was a quiet man, a loving husband, father and grandfather whose actions spoke to his love for his family and friends. The world is a better place because he lived in it.
A service will be held Oct. 3 at 1 p.m. to celebrate his life at Zion United Methodist Church at 2109 Seaford Road, Seaford, VA 23696.
We would love to hear any stories you wish to share about our father. Please send them to Kevin Crossett at kcrossett@nullgmail.com. Your thoughts and comments are much appreciated and may be used during the service. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in his name to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.