Teko and I remember the first time we met Craig, Kim, and Kirsten in 1994 (Lindsay came soon after) when we moved into the neighborhood.  His friendly smile and logical manner that defined his personality, was then and has remained all these years an inspiration for his family and friends.  He will be greatly missed, and we hope the fond memories will comfort all that must endure this loss.

In my job context, I briefly had luck to get introduced to Craig by our colleague Trevor Smith during my official trip to Sunnyvale in July 2018. I had heard a lot of good things about Craig and I'd been one of those umpteen associates within Danaher who had used his many contributions in field of continuous improvement. May his soul rest in peace and also wish mental strength to his dear and near ones to tide through this difficult phase in life.  Thank you Craig! 
From
Safeer Ibrahimkutty, Danaher India Development Center

Like many who had the joy of working with Craig, I would describe him as a mentor.   Craig’s enthusiasm for work and driving improvement was infectious.  The positive energy he brought to every conversation is what I will remember most.  Craig was focused on developing the people and teams around him.  When we would meet, his first questions were not about results, but were concerned with whether I was enjoying the job and what I had learned.  He consistently encouraged a work-life balance and often shared his tips on how to stay connected to family while traveling.  Craig loved to speak with pride about the accomplishments of his children and the joy of spending time with his grandchild.  It was a special moment to see Craig presented with the Danaher Lifetime Achievement award this year.  Craig will be missed by all he touched, and his impact will carry on.  My thoughts and prayers are with his family.   

We first met Kim and Craig at Kindergarten roundup in 1995.  He was a great friend over these past 24 years.  A great man, husband and father.  Always willing to help out if we had a computer issue.  I remember him spending several hours at our house on one occasion when we had to do a clean reinstall on our computer.   He was always up to date on the latest technology, especially regarding cars.  If we had a car question, he was the man to see.  Really missing him and sending our love to Kim, Kirsten and Lindsay.

Jean and I have known Craig and Kim for over thirty years.  I was lucky enough to have worked with both of them in various roles at Tektronix.  Descriptions of Craig could include something like: he is as logical as Mr. Spock, as smart as Sheldon Cooper, and has a stature like Payton Manning.  Together, we fought many business battles including the battles you fight every quarter as a public company. I could always count on Craig to give his all with the kind of dedication, integrity and trustworthiness that were at his core.  Sometimes the two of us would play a game to see who could send the last business e-mail of the night.  He won that game many times by clocking out at one or two in the morning!
It would be easy for people that didn’t fully know Craig to be a little intimidated because of his size, intelligence, ability to ask difficult questions and inability to hide his body language. Those close to him knew that this was only a small part of the story. When I think of Craig I am reminded of his unique sense of humor, the look on his face when he turned from serious to that wide smile, and above all, there was a big heart in that large mainframe.  That is the Craig that I picture in my mind.
Work wasn’t just a job for Craig. He was passionate about what he did especially when it came to program management and business systems. But the three most important things in his life were Kim, Kirsten and Lindsay.  Much further down the list was his love of cars.  I remember when he bought his first BMW. He had done extensive research and could probably describe every nut and bolt on that thing.  Once he drove the new BMW to an offsite but instead of taking the most direct route, Craig found the one with the most curves and elevation changes while his passenger hung on for dear life!
There are two words that come to mind when I think about our relationship, they are thankful and grateful, and that is how I feel about my thirty years of knowing both Craig and Kim.

I met Craig at a DBSO F2F meeting in October 2018 in Colorado. Our conversation came around to his battle with cancer and mine.  His focus was all about giving me hope for the future and not giving up.  He gave me his mobile number as well as Kim's.  I have never used it but I wanted to let you, Kim, know what a blessing and comfort it was to have him encourage me despite everything that he had gone through. I was honored to meet him.


It is very difficult for me to put into words the role Craig has played in our lives. We met Kim and Craig at Kindergarten roundup for their daughter Kirsten and our daughter Heather. We became good friends and have shared so much together. My favorite memory of Craig involves his minimalist outlook. When asked what he wanted for birthday or holiday gifts it would be permission to get rid of things. I used to send things home with his daughter just to mess with him. He would then find a way to send things back into my house. Craig is the reason I always stop and think..where will it live...before buying something. Why when I buy a piece of clothing I make myself give two away. Life will go on without Craig, but it won't be quite as good. We will miss him!

My sincere condolences to the Overhage family. Knowing Craig as and a friend and neighbor was a true pleasure. I will remember Craig for his generosity, amazing intellect and unique sense of humor. 
Craig and I shared a love of cars. He kindly let me drive two of his high-performance vehicles, and allowed me the opportunity to enjoy his insights along the way. These types of experiences are the mortar that bind friendships, and reveal our commonalities. 
I hope Kim, and Craig's family, will find a path to healing soon.  
Please know Craig will be remembered fondly, and will be missed by many.

Kim, Pat and I are so sorry to hear of your loss. Craig was an admired business colleague of mine and I will cherish my memories of working with him.

I met Craig when I was sent to the Logic Analyzer division at Tek. I was to provide a report on what to do with that fledging business. Craig was not even part of that division. But everybody told me that I should get Craig’s input. That was the start of our interactions. This was back in 1992 when he was hardly 30 years old. He was sharp in his thinking, quick on his feet, and spoke fast – even faster than me! So impressed was I with him, that within six months, I asked Craig to join us and lead the Apollo project. It was the best decision I made in my tenure in that division. His work on the Apollo project, which became the TLA series of products, is a lasting legacy of Craig Overhage. Those were the years I remember Craig with fond memories.

We remained friends as we moved on in our careers. About a year or so ago, I bumped into him on an airplane. He came up to me during the flight and showed me an email, together with all the supporting data – so typical of Craig – that the TLA series of products had amassed a billion dollars in revenue in its lifetime. You could just see the delight in his face. On that same flight, both of us were working on our laptops, one row apart from each other. They announced that it was time to put away our computers. Craig continued to work. The flight attendant told him that he needed to put his laptop away. He pointed out that the captain had not rang the “double-ding” and that the double-ding was the signal that we were below 10,000 feet, at which point we need to put the computers away. So much like Craig to know what the process was, and insist on following that process.

I was saddened when I heard of the news earlier this week. I will always remember him as the business colleague that could always stand up to me while standing with me.  Craig, we will miss you.

Balaji

Kim, we are so sorry to hear about Craig.  Craig was always a great, contributing member of our executive staff.   I have many good memories working with Craig and was always impressed with his quickness of mind and sense of humor. A couple memories stand out:   One of our extended staff meetings was being held on the Oregon coast. Craig asked me to ride with him.   Within minutes of starting the trip Craig said, “ I asked you to ride with me so I could get your advice on a few problems I’m facing”.   We had a great time  sharing ideas together in an “out of the office environment “ while enjoying the great outdoor scenery.  Another memory is a little more humorous.  Craig called me from a business trip to China.   He sounded very nervous and said, “ Dave the car I was riding in just ran into the car in front of it. The driver of my car ( one of my employees)  just about pushed me across the street and got me in a taxi to take me back to the hotel.  Why did he do that, what’s happening !”   I explained about Craig being a tall, good looking,  rich American  and the process the Chinese use to negotiate minor traffic accidents.   Craig and I had many conversations about “ the importance of making memories “ during ones life here on earth. He shared with me how he tracked down an old car his Dad had restored, just to make a memory with his dad.  Now, I will reach into my memory bank and retrieve many memories of Craig and I working together.   So glad I had that honor!

A major highlight of my career was working with Craig in 1990 on a computer program called Amber.  My favorite memory of Craig is the moment when we were debugging Amber together at Craig's desk, and an error message popped out with Craig's phone number, inviting him to call himself for technical support.

Craig was there on my worst day of high school, ready to help with a kind word. When we were in a jam at the start of our vacation, he showed up and helped us find a topper for the mini-van we'd rented (and flipped a mean burger on his back patio). Whether we were visiting over a sandwich at Shapiro's or hanging out beside the beach for a holiday weekend, his wit was sharp, his love for life was strong, and his friendship was a rock you could lean on.  (I'll always hear his laugh that the time we butt-dialed him while he was on a business trip overseas.) 

His passing leaves a big hole in our lives.  But I will gladly handle this grief rather than to have missed the joy of knowing him. 

OBITUARY

Craig L. Overhage

20 May, 1962 – 10 December, 2019

Finley-Sunset Hills Mortuary & Sunset Hills Memorial Park

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