Norman Crawley, 78, president of PR firm

Norman R. Crawley Jr., the longtime owner and president of a public relations company, died Dec. 3 at his Braintree home of heart complications. He was 78.

Mr. Crawley, a Wenham native, graduated from Beverly High School, where his mother taught English. After obtaining a degree from Northeastern University he served in the military during the Korean War.

In 1960, his friends said, Mr. Crawley and partner Bob Picard founded Crawley and Co. Inc., based in Hingham. Mr. Crawley represented financial firms, banks, insurance companies, and other interests through radio, direct mail, and newspapers.

"He was the kind of person who was too inextricably tied to his business," said Larry Davis, who was an acquaintance before Mr. Crawley hired him in 1982. "He was energetic, dapper, and full of life. He was sort of a prototypical salesperson."

Outside of his sales promotion company, Mr. Crawley, an Eagle Scout, served on executive boards of the Boston Council, Old Colony Council, and the Cape & Islands Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He was a member of the Rotary Club and Old Colony Masonic Lodge, both in Hingham.

"He was a mentor to many of us who were learning about marketing and people," said Ken Borden, director of sales for Cape Business Publishing Group.

Mr. Crawley was instrumental in organizing the Cape Cod Advertising Club in the 1980s. He also joined the Charles River Yacht Club in Cambridge and Bare Cove Power and Sail Squadron in Hingham.

Alice Gross of Stonington, Maine, Crawley's cousin, said that as he became aware of his cardiovascular problems - and was given two years to live - he took a trip around the world.

"He bought a yacht, and he went cruising and blew all of his money," Gross said.

Mr. Crawley is being cremated. . There are no immediate survivors.