Louise Lewis Craft

Louise Laura Lewis Craft died peacefully on December 20, 2020, in her home at Magnolia Trace Retirement Center in Huntsville, Alabama. She was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph Curtis Craft. Louise felt cared for and loved in her final hour, as she had been for the past year as her daughters took turns staying with her. This was a sweet time, during which Louise shared many stories, watched tennis and golf, and zoomed with family in several states.

Louise was born on December 22, 1927 in Roanoke, Virginia to Eudie Oliver and Mabel Caldwell Lewis. She is preceded in death by her older brother Earl Lewis (Larue) of Harrells, NC; by her older sister Aileen Schaller of Durham, NC; and by her younger brother Claude Lewis of Roanoke, Virginia.

Raised in Roanoke, Louise graduated from William Byrd High School in 1946 and in 1950 earned her B.S from Berea College. She majored in Home Economics with a focus on furniture and clothes design. Louise’s skill in food sciences led to interesting work for Fontana Dam and for the Appalachian Power Company, where she demonstrated how to cook with the newly available microwave oven.

Louise first saw her future husband, Joseph Curtis Craft, as they passed in a doorway during their first week at Berea. They became friends, enjoying time on the tennis court and walking in the woods. Big dates included nickel coffee at the diner near campus.

Louise and Joe were married in Danforth Chapel at Berea College on May 27, 1952. They returned to the area where Joe had been raised, settling in the Lakewood subdivision of Huntsville, Alabama. The Redstone Arsenal was growing fast, and Joe found work there as a mathematician, while Louise taught biology and home economics at several schools, primarily Davis Hills Junior High.

The family was involved in activities ranging from school bands (for which Louise helped make banners and uniforms) to swim teams. They spent weekends hiking on Monte Sano or playing sports in the neighborhood. Summers included trips to the Lewis family farm in Bladen County, North Carolina, and they spent many happy weeks on the lakes and shores of that state.

The couple was active in Civitans, the Opportunity Center and the HelpLine. Louise held leadership roles in the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution). She was skilled at bridge, gardening and sewing projects of all kinds. She became an accomplished amateur genealogist and helped to produce excellent records of both the Craft and Lewis ancestries. When Joe retired, the couple traveled extensively, from Florida to Arizona to Massachusetts.

Louise and Joe had three daughters: Cheryl Elizabeth Anderson (Sonny) of Madison, Alabama; Peggy Craft of Efland, North Carolina; and Jolynn Powell (Michael) of Gurley, Alabama. There are a dozen grandchildren: Daniel Powell, Beth Anderson, David Powell, Ross Anderson, Sarah Kinzer, Joellen Craft, Heather Craft, Laura Anderson, Gloria Gasser, Rebekah Gibson, Thomas Curtis Anderson, and Adam Powell. Along with the twenty great grandchildren, they carry happy memories of time spent with Grandma Louise and Grandpa Joe.

A gathering of the immediate family will be held at Valhalla Memory Gardens. A celebration of Louise’s life will be held at a later date. If you want to honor Louise’s life with a donation, please consider Berea College or the Opportunity Center of Huntsville.