Kermit F. Croissant

Kermit F. Croissant, Jr., age 88, of Fairview Heights, IL, born on December 18, 1931 in East St. Louis, IL, died on Monday, March 23, 2020 at Anderson Hospital in Maryville, IL.

Kermit graduated from Missouri Military Academy (Mexico MO) in 1950 where the values of fairness, honesty, and honor were reinforced and ingrained in him. He would never lie, cheat or steal from any person.

Kermit worked as an electrician (local 309) and retired from Rapp Electric as a Project Manager. He was an avid motorcyclist and enjoyed riding his beloved “White Buffalo”. He was also a private pilot and family genealogist.

Kermit was a very gregarious person and had a way with people, he could make a new friend over a cup of coffee. He was generous with his time and was always available to help. Being a selfless person, he retired earlier than anticipated to care for his mother.

He enjoyed having people associate him with “Kermit the Frog” and because of his last name some people thought of him as a Frog Sandwich.

As a very active person, he had difficulty dealing with life after he suffered a spinal cord injury in 2003 which left him quadriplegic. He struggled mightily during his daily exercises and gained some success but not enough to overcome the damage from his fall.

If there was one principle that he lived by, it would be contained in a phrase coined by William Shakespeare in the play, Hamlet, Polonius says: ‘This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not be false to any man’. A longtime friend of his once stated that he had never heard anyone say a bad thing about him, a seemingly impossible feat in today’s world when so many are so quick to judge.  One of his last requests was that we would all remember him as he was when times were good.  May he rest in peace.

He was preceded in death by his former wife, Theresa M. Croissant, nee Levy; and his parents, Kermit F. Croissant, Sr. and Genevieve Croissant, nee Owen.

Kermit is survived by his children, Pamela J. Salsman of Belleville, IL and George M. Croissant of Fairview Heights, IL; his grandchildren, Jeanine (Amanda) Johnston, Andrew (Anndrea) Martignoni, III and Kermit Martignoni; 12 great-grandchildren and 4 great-great grandchildren.

Kermit requested that there be no visitation or services.

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