James Gerald "Jerry" Croghan of New York City and Spencertown, New York, passed away suddenly on Monday, March 04, 2019, while on holiday in the West Indies. Jerry was born June 24, 1942, at the Bellevue Maternity Hospital in Schenectady, New York, to Eva Rose Chartrand Croghan and James Gerald Croghan. A fan of movies, theatre and music, during his high school summers Jerry was fortunate to work at the Colonie Tent Theatre in Latham, New York, cementing his life-long love of musical theatre. After finishing high school a semester early, Jerry moved directly to New York City, not to work in the theatre but to attend Fordham University, from which he graduated in 1964. A short stint in graduate school at NYU was followed by several years of work in the advertising business, including at Foote Cone & Belding, before earning his MA degree in Psychology at City College in 1978. The opportunity to begin his clinical training at New Hope Guild Center in Brooklyn was the foundation of Jerry's private psychotherapy practice, started in his apartment in 1978 and then continuously maintained in his Mercer Street office with a full roster of patients until his death. In a moment of great pride and accomplishment, Jerry was awarded his PhD in Clinical Psychology by the Pacifica Graduate Institute in 1993. Jerry was an incisive, patient, supportive, focused and caring therapist for all his clients, always believing in the possibility of, and working toward, genuine and long-lasting positive change in his clients' lives. He was an evangelist for commitment, and frequently celebrated a marriage or birth of a child among his clients; after discovering the Universal Life Church, he performed over 30 wedding ceremonies. Having grown up in a time and culture almost universally disapproving of same-sex orientation, Jerry was especially thrilled by the opportunity to have his own wedding and married Louis R. Hedgecock on June 07, 2014, after having been together for 35 years. They jokingly described their life as "39 years of unalloyed bliss"; in fact, it was 39 years of constant love and delirious happiness. Jerry shared his expansive personality, tremendous intellect and artistic and cultural passions with friends from every era of his life, including his many friends upstate in Spencertown. He was a great collector of friends, a tremendous conversationalist, and a fabulous host. In all ways, his generosity was unceasing. While he could be relentless in his honesty and an occasional playful provocateur, he knew and loved his friends deeply, and was a tireless advocate for their success and happiness. While those friends ignored his advice at their own peril, that advice, so often, was impeccable. Pre-deceased by his parents, Jerry is survived by his husband, Louis Hedgecock, of New York City and Spencertown, many cousins (and their many children), and literally countless friends around the world. A celebration of his life will be held at the Crandell Theatre in Chatham, New York, on Saturday, April 13 at 10:30 AM. Contributions in Jerry's memory and honor may be made to The Spencertown Academy Building Fund, 790 Route 203, PO Box 80, Spencertown, NY 12165 or, recognizing his tireless encouragement of young adults and his interest in theatre, to the Dramatists Guild Foundation, https://dgf.org.donate/, listing your gift in honor of Jerry Croghan. Condolences may be conveyed at frenchblasl.com.