John R. Craft

He was retired, formerly the golf course Superintendent at Link Hills Country Club, before retiring, he built golf courses.

Mr. Craft was of the Baptist tradition of faith.

He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, and was a member of Western North Carolina Golf Course Association, the Tennessee Turf Association. He enjoyed camping and restoring older tractors.

Survivors include his wife: Mary Rader Craft; one son and special daughter-in-law: James “Bucky” and Christy Craft of Greeneville; a daughter and special son-in-law: Connie and Allen Blake, of Chuckey; four special grandchildren: Allison, Katie, Lydia, and Macy Craft; one sister: Fern Closser of Anderson, IN; brothers-in-law and sister-in-law: Gary and Christy Smith, Mike Rader, Paul and Lisa Norton all of Greeneville; several nieces and nephews including special nieces: Linda Humphreys and Naomi Bowman, both of Greeneville.

He was the son of the late Joseph Kendrith and Mae Bailey Mitchell Craft and was preceded in

death by a sister, Pauline Williams Hudgins; two brothers, George and Mitchell Craft.

The funeral service will be held at 7:00 p.m. Thursday, March 24, 2011, in the Kiser Rose Hill Chapel. Rev. Todd Abby and Rev. Lawrence Pack will officiate. Interment will be at 11:00 a.m. Friday, at GreeneLawn Memory Gardens.

Pallbearers will be Allen Stapleton, James Norton, Mike Rader, Nicholas Starnes, Randy Westmoreland, and Jim Shelton.

Honorary pallbearers will be Zoe Munoz, Jessie Munoz, Hugh Bowman, Kyle Norton, Johnny Justice, Gary Smith, Kenneth DeWitt, Dr. Richard Aasheim, staff and employees of Amedisys Hospice, staff of Takoma Home Health, his friends and neighbors.

The family will receive friends 1-3 and 5-7 p.m. Thursday at Kiser Rose Hill Funeral Home. Family and friends are asked to meet at 10:15 a.m. Friday at the funeral home to go in procession for the committal service. The Greene County Honor Guard and the Tennessee National Guard will conduct a military graveside service.