Gregory Craig

Funeral Information

A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, April 11, 2023 at 11 am at the Kaufman Funeral Home in Bad Axe. Burial will be in Verona Cemetery. Visitation will be held on Monday, April 10, 2023 from 2 – 7 pm or Tuesday from 10 am until the service time at 11 am. Memorials may be made to the Make-A-Wish Foundation or the American Cancer Society. If you wish to offer your condolences to the family, please go to www.kaufmanfuneralhome.com

Family of the Deceased

Greg is survived by his loving wife and life companion, Julie and his son Bradley, Bad Axe. He is also survived by his mother, Lorraine Craig, Bad Axe, and his siblings: Diane Bergey, Imlay City; Laurie Polega, Mattawan; Rodney “Joe” Craig, Caseville; Brian (Jeanne) Craig, Potterville; Barry Craig, Walled Lake; Donna (Thomas) Walsh, Sebewaing; Mark (Patti) Craig, Schoolcraft; Randall (Anne) Craig, Croswell; and Melissa Craig, Bad Axe; and special neighbor Mike Ridner. He is also survived by brother’s-in-law Randy Maurer, Bad Axe; Joe Brenner, Elkton; Lee Ferris, Caseville; and sister-in-law Sherry (Douglas) Roberts, Elkton; numerous nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews. Greg was preceeded in death by his father, John Junior Craig; brother’s-in-law Art Bergey, Dennis Polega, James Maurer, Donald Maurer, Rick Maurer and Bill Anderson; sister’s-in-law Della Anderson, Lila Maurer, Debra Maurer, Trudy Brenner, Connie Arntz, Linda Ferris and Mary Ann Maurer.

Biography

Gregory John Craig, 67, of Bad Axe passed away Wednesday, April 5, 2023 at his home under hospice care. As was his wish, he was surrounded with family in these most familiar surroundings making his last request a peaceful and loving reality. Greg was born on December 28, 1955, in Bad Axe, Michigan, the second of ten children born to John Junior Craig and Lorraine Alberta Pettit Craig. Greg was a third-generation student at Adams School in Sigel Township and was a 1974 graduate of Bad Axe High School. Greg and Julie Maurer were united in marriage on June 26, 1981 in Bad Axe, had one child Bradley Paul Craig and they have lived in Bad Axe since. Greg was a tireless worker and was very innovative and creative particularly in fabricating parts in his home machine shop. His farm background led him to help not only his parents on their farm, but he was employed by neighboring farmers as well. He worked for many years at the former Active Industries (Tower) in Elkton, and during that time he also pursued and achieved machine repair machinist apprentice status. He subsequently worked at GM in Saginaw as a mechanical technician and gained the status of Journeyman Machine Repair Machinist. After leaving GM, he worked for Three Rivers at the current Corteva in Harbor Beach, from which he retired in 2020. Greg was so mechanically driven that he worked with his father to convert the original family John Deere A into an antique class pulling tractor. He competed locally and across the state, winning many trophies. He enjoyed pulling with his son Brad, and Julie meticulously kept track of the stats! Greg was a charter member of the Thumb Two-Cylinder Club and he participated in many local events, parading his tractors in our surrounding communities. Greg was our go-to in the Craig family as we lined up and discovered battery issues, difficulty turning the fly-wheel, getting us in an order that always had him pulling up the rear with the chain, just in case someone needed a tow. And he was an expert at getting all our tractors loaded and unloaded from the trucks in record time. Greg and Julie enjoyed traveling throughout the United States, attending family events and he was always scouring the junk aisles at old engine shows, looking for something to add to his shop and projects. At the end of the days of searching and bargaining, he would join the extended family at the campsite, telling stories, reliving the hunt and reminiscing into the wee hours. Conversation is a big deal in our family and his nephew recalls those nights as some of his best memories of Greg and family.

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