Craig Lee McLaughlin

He was preceded in death by his younger brother Chris and his mother, Joan.

He is survived by his life partner, Teresa, his sons Caleb and Aaron, his brothers, Carl and Charles and wife Hillary, his father and step-mother, Chuck and Barbara, and three half-brothers, Mark, David and wife Jaclyn, and Paul and wife Judy. His mother’s husband John and his mother's cousin Jeanie also survive. Caleb and his wife Alyssa have the most recent grandchild, Sheamus, born on Craig’s birthday in 2014. In addition, Craig’s grandchildren include Noah, Rosie and Catalina by Caleb and Enzo and Nico by Aaron and his wife Susan, as well as numerous nieces and nephews all living throughout California and Oregon.

Craig was an avid music fan and had a poetic and detailed recollection of every concert he attended. Stories of being filmed with his Bakersfield friends in a Doors video, hanging out with Greg Allman and seeing Hendrix live were his early accounts. He actually did love ‘80s music including retro shows but his enjoyment of music brought him to the present day by seeing Joe Bonamassa most recently. When asked who his all-time favorite musician was, Pat Metheny topped the list but there was always a reverence and a decent interpretive lyric by Elvis Presley at the ready. The list goes on and on and the sky’s the limit when it came to his fondness and knowledge of music.

Craig spent his working life – as he put it – mostly in the bread business. He was a Marketing Manager for San Luis Sourdough and helped build the brand throughout California, Arizona and Nevada. Craig stayed with the company even after several acquisitions to remain living on the Central Coast. He officially retired from “the bread business” in September 2015. In October, he and Teresa traveled to his most loved place Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. Craig had lived there for more than seven years during the 1970’s and was just beginning to dream of returning there for his later years.

Craig loved the outdoors including stepping just outside the door to admire his yard work and take a short walk to view the Back Bay. He was a duck hunter early on and enjoyed camping, hiking and fishing throughout his life. Regular beach walks included taking his beloved dog Maggie to the ocean up until her passing approximately two years ago. No doubt he is playing with Maggie and visiting with his mom and brother Chris right now with one eye looking out for a Jerry Garcia or George Harrison sighting. Craig was also an ardent reader for most of his life and thoroughly enjoyed cracking a book to expand his knowledge on the way to bed most nights.

All would agree that Craig was one of the liveliest and all around funniest guys to be around. His charismatic personality as well as his thirst to get out and enjoy life was contagious for those of us who were fortunate enough to spend time with him. He was sadly taken much too early from this world to get to fully embrace his later "non-working" years, of which he undoubtedly had many plans. Truly a soul that marched to the beat of his own drum with the ability to make anyone feel right at home, he will forever be remembered and loved by his family and friends.

In memory of Craig, donations may be made to the Atascadero Pet Hospital and Emergency Center.