Steven Crooks passed away last month at the age of 76. The New Palestine man spent most of his career in the restaurant business.
NEW PALESTINE — If there’s one thing Steven Crooks enjoyed more than the restaurants he ran, it was the people who patronized them.
“He loved to go around and just talk to people. That’s kind of what he was known for. He was very personable,” said his eldest son, Tim Crooks, who runs the Frosty Boy Drive-In his father purchased in 1999.
The elder Crooks passed away April 20 at the age of 76 after working in the restaurant business in some capacity or another nearly all his life.
For years he worked in sales for Taylor, an equipment manufacturer which supplies ice cream production equipment to restaurants. He was checking in on one of his customers at Frosty Boy in New Palestine when the owner told him the drive-in was going up for sale.
Crooks couldn’t resist taking the leap and buying the business, which has been an iconic hot spot for ice cream lovers since it was founded in 1976.
Tim Crooks took some time before the busy lunch rush this week to say a few words about his dad.
“He was always a hard worker,” said the son, echoing the same sentiment shared by his mother, Joan.
Two years after purchasing Frosty Boy, the elder Crooks got the itch to open a family diner-type establishment right next door. He opened Cafe 52 in 2001, handing over running the drive-in to his eldest son.
At Cafe 52, Crooks and his wife would experiment with recipes and discuss the best way to serve their guests.
“We came up with a lot of recipes together. He was always tinkering with them,” said Joan, his wife of 56 years.
“He was a really good cook,” she said.
The restaurant business was a big part of Crooks’ life, which included a four-year stint in the Army, including tours in Turkey and Korea.
Crooks was born in Garrett but raised his family in Anderson after marrying Joan in 1967. Together, they had two sons.
The family eventually moved to New Palestine, where Crooks worked at the Lucky Steer steakhouse until the family restaurant closed.
He worked for a number of other restaurants before going to work for Taylor, which led him to buying Frosty Boy.
Now his son Tim runs the business, which is open from early March through late October.
For years, Tim would head next door to help out his dad at Cafe 52, which served breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The elder Crooks ran the cafe for 11 years before retiring and closing its doors, but his customers never forgot how warm and hospitable he was.
“People loved him,” said Tim.
Visitation for the beloved restaurateur will be from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 6, at Flanner Buchanan-Washington Park East in Indianapolis, with a funeral service with military honors immediately following.
Contributions may be made in his name to Bethel Gilead Community Church (876 Block Branch County Road, Bronson, MI, 49028) or Riley Hospital for Children (705 Riley Hospital Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46202).
