Ed was born in 1919 into a family of nine in Colorado. His family moved to National City where Ed became a firefighter with National City for 25 years. Ed's wife Willa worked at a nearby car dealership in town. Ed played baseball in his youth. He also coached the "Fireman" Little League team to a championship level and started NCFD as the longest continuous sponsor of a Little League team in National City. Captain Crossley died prematurely of a massive heart attack while still on the job.