William David Craig

William David Craig, Jr., age 99, died in Austin on Friday, April 11, 2008 after a short illness. He was a life long third-generation Austinite who was always known as "W.D." He was also a devoted husband and father and an excellent role model to all who knew him. He believed in hard work, regular habits and moderation in all things. He prided himself on exhibiting good common sense and being plain-spoken. But he had a proverbial heart of gold, witty demeanor and easy charm as well. W.D. was born in Granger, Texas on August 4, 1908. His parents were W.D. Craig, Sr. and Beulah Lamb Craig. The family moved to Austin in 1910 so his father could open a pharmacy in the old Tenth Ward of East Austin. W.D. worked in his father's drug store part time while growing up, making milkshakes and delivering prescriptions. He graduated from Austin High School in 1926. He then attended the University of Texas, studying accounting. After college, W.D. held a number of different jobs in Austin during the early years of the Depression and learned the true value of a dollar. He eventually went to work for the Texas State Board of Control in 1934. It was there that he met his future wife, Harriett Flinn Craig, formerly of Cameron, Texas. They were married on April12, 1941 at the First Baptist Church in Cameron. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, W.D. joined the United States Army Air Corps and served the duration of the war as a paymaster at San Marcos Army Air Field in San Marcos, Texas. He and Harriett settled in the Brykerwoods neighborhood of West Austin in 1944 and lived there for next fifty years. After being discharged by the Army following the war, W.D. went to work for the Texas Comptroller's Office and served under Comptroller Robert Calvert until his retirement from that agency in 1974. W.D. was an active member of the University Methodist Church, where he served as Treasurer of the Hickman's Men's Fellowship Class for many years. He was also very civic minded serving as a poll worker at Brykerwoods School each election and as a member of the Travis County Juvenile Board. He helped other neighborhood fathers build a "scout hut" for the local Boy Scout troop on the school grounds and always assisted at school carnivals, dances and paper drives. After his retirement, W.D. and Harriet traveled widely and enjoyed the fruits of a life well lived. W.D. was preceded in death by his wife, Harriett, and his sister, Dorothy Craig Bruce, in 1995. He moved to Westminster Manor in Austin in December, 1995 and made many new friends among the residents and staff. W.D. successfully survived a series of health challenges in his later years that would have undermined the average person. However, descended from very tough and uncomplaining pioneer stock, he remained extremely sharp mentally and was proudly self-sufficient until his last illness. He is survived by two sons, Richard F. Craig of Austin and William David Craig III of Savannah, Georgia and his wife, Kitty Craig. He is also survived by one grandson, William David Craig IV of Cumming, Georgia and his wife, Brandy Brown Craig and a granddaughter, Jennifer Hale, her husband Charlie, and her children Mason and Caroline of Wendell, North Carolina. The family wishes to thank the staff and employees of Hospice Austin, Westminster Manor Health Care Center and the care givers of The Medical Team for their wonderful assistance during a difficult time. Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 in the Weed-Corley-Fish Chapel, 3125 N. Lamar Blvd. Interment will follow at Austin Memorial Park. Memorial donations may be made to Hospice Austin, 4107 Spicewood Springs Rd, Suite 100, Austin, TX 78759 or to the University United Methodist Church Building Fund, 2409 Guadalupe, Austin, TX 78705.