Wendell Ray Craig

Wendell Ray Craig, 69, of Lynchburg went to be with the Lord on Thursday, May 19, 2011 after a five-year battle with brain cancer and having gone through three series of chemotherapy and radiation treatments. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Alice Geraldine “Gerry” Winston Craig.

Born in Lynchburg October 9, 1941, he was the son of the late Gilbert Raymond Craig and Kathleen Mae Howard Mayhew. He served in the U.S. Army for 24 years as an Automotive Maintenance Warrant Officer and retired in 1984 with the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 4. He served in Vietnam and received The Bronze Star Medal during the war. Other personnel awards for meritorious service include Meritorious Service Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Commendation Medal with one Oak Leaf cluster, and the Air Force Commendation Medal. Other medals include Army and Air Force Good Conduct Medal, and multiple service awards. He was assigned to many places in the world including Germany, Hawaii, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and Vietnam and five state side assignments. He has been a life member for over 35 years of the U.S. Army Warrant Officers Association. While on active duty, he served in various local USAWOA Chapter officer positions. He received a Business Management Degree from Troy State University in 1979.

After retiring from the Army he went to work in Northern Virginia for defense contractors providing logistics support and designing military equipment for the soldiers. He did this type of logistics support for the military and defense of the country until retiring in 2006. While working for Mulkerin associates, Inc., He earned “Turning Goals into Reality” award while performing on a contract for NASA, Glenn Research Center.

In additon to his wife, he is survived by his son, U.S. Air Force TSgt David Wendell Craig and his wife Heather of Wasilla, Alaska; his daughter, Malia Tabitha King and her husband Greg of Lynchburg; four grandchildren, Luke, Liam and Kathleen King and Allison Craig and one sister, Patty Gale Shapiro.

He would like to thank his daughter and his son for their service to our country. He was very proud of his daughers service in the US Navy and his son’s service in the US Air Force. Thanks for a job well done.

A funeral service will be conducted at 3:00 p.m. Monday, May 23, 2011 at Whitten Timberlake Chapel with the Rev. Msgr. J. Kenneth Rush officiating. Interment will follow at Fort Hill Memorial Park with full military honors by the Fort Lee Honors Team.

The family will receive friends from 3 – 5 p.m. Sunday, May 22, 2011 at the funeral home.

Those wishing to make memorial contributions are asked to consider The Army Historical Foundation, National Museum of the US Army, 2425 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Virginia 22201. Or the The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Donor Services P.O. Box 4072, Pittsfield, MA 01202, or you my go online to donate at http://pages.teamintraining.org/va/corps11/maliaking.