Robert Craig Fuhs

May 7, 1954 – August 21, 2018

Robert Craig Fuhs, known as Craig to his loving family and friends, passed away unexpectedly on August 21, 2018 in Longmont, Colorado. He was born on May 7, 1954 in Council Bluffs, Iowa to the late Robert and Nadine (Jones) Fuhs.

Craig lived his early years in Council Bluffs and Fremont, Nebraska.

When he was 12 years old, his family moved to Chicago.

He was the eldest and was followed by a sister, Diane, and a brother, David who were his close friends throughout life. He was very close to his father and respectful of his parents.

In 1972, he graduated from JB Conant HS in Hoffman Estates, IL. He spent a year following at Iowa State enjoying his freedom, perhaps a bit too much, as a young man.

He was a great student, a hard worker, a natural intellectual, at times serious and introverted, but also had a fun-loving side. He always enjoyed fishing, shooting, hunting, photography, and being in and appreciating the outdoors.

As a young man he worked as a cook at WT Grant and Denny’s before starting a career in Industrial Sales working for Bond Manufacturing Company.

In 1974, he married Lynn Siler (Forti) and they moved to Edina, MN. They were married 5 years when they were blessed with twin boys, Clint and Jason, in November 1979 and another son, Alan in July 1981. The family lived in Wheaton, IL.

Craig had to travel quite a lot for work but when he was at home he was a very involved father. He really enjoyed building things with his boys, playing on the floor with them, taking them camping, fishing, hunting, and awakening them to a love of the great outdoors, something they all still enjoy immensely. Through the years, he taught them how to love music, ride mountain bikes, remodel houses, play a mean game of laser tag, work with computers and, above all else, act with commitment and integrity in all their pursuits.

Before having kids, Craig was powerfully moved by Kahlil Gibran’s verse “On Children,” which, in part, reads:

…You may give them your love but not your thoughts,

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,

which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them,

but seek not to make them like you…

He committed to embodying these words in and through his relationship with his children.

The majority of Craig’s career was in Industrial Sales and Engineering. He worked for Aeroquip Corporation for years as well as a number of other companies, and continued to travel internationally, which expanded his perspective of the world. He always brought back incredible souvenirs and stories from far off lands for his family.

On January 2, 1993, Craig married his beloved Brenda Darrow. They had a great love, made an extraordinary team, and were the best of friends. He was a conduit of unending joy and deep appreciation of life for her.

He and Brenda moved to Omaha in 1996 and lived there for 6 years before moving to Charlotte, North Carolina for 3 years. During this time, he eventually left the corporate world and started his own massage therapy practice because he was drawn to the healing arts. In 2007, Craig and Brenda moved to Longmont, CO to be closer to their sons, along with other family and the mountains they all loved since early vacations.

In the later years of his life, he took early retirement due to diabetes-related health challenges. He fully accepted the reality of these challenges, though they did slow him down and keep him from much of the activities he loved.

Family was the most important thing in his life, and in many ways he was as much a best friend and life and business mentor to his wife and his boys (and daughter-in-laws) as he was a husband and father. Though he at times appeared to hide his vulnerability and was always a rock for his family, you could tell that he was constantly processing and figuring out the world and his place in it, deepening himself, considering his challenges and limitations, and working to overcome them. His emotions ran deeper and became more transparent later in life.

Friends and family remember conversations with him that touched them deeply and even helped pivot their ingrained perspectives. He was truly an evolutionary and at times revolutionary man, with uncommon interests and views on spirituality, social issues, and righting what was deeply wrong with the world. He knew he was rarely right, and that his beliefs were constantly being challenged and evolved. Finding a better truth and a deeper reality was important to him. He wanted the world to be awake.

He will be remembered as having intensely embraced a love of learning new things and the pursuit of new passions. He was an extremely curious and diligent individual – and was able to research any new passion or interest and become fully invested in it. He loved the accessibility of knowledge in our current world and appreciated the richness of life, finding the beauty and joy in everything.

He enjoyed working on projects and home improvements to challenge himself, perfect his environment, and to simply experience the process of doing good work with his hands. He always learned to do things better (though generally slower) than the professionals who did it everyday.

Craig loved to explore every city he lived in and seek out hidden gems in the food scene. Any visiting guest would be invited to a multitude of restaurants where they’d receive a nourishing meal and conversation – mostly on account of the fact that Craig and Brenda had come to know (and love) at least half of the staff. He loved, and could also cook a great meal, always accompanied by fine spirits!

He was an incredibly talented, funny, and beautiful man with a huge heart and a center of unwavering love.

Craig also had a profound love for and a deep connection to his animals, particularly his rescue dogs who have since passed, Jenny, Dillon, Ames, and Trumen; and his new babies Roo and Bo. Cats named KiKoo, Cassius, Abby, Delmar and Pete also ruled the roost alongside the dogs. He often spoke about how his animals saved him, understood him, deepened, and comforted him in profound ways. He thought animals had a higher consciousness than humans and were angels that find their way into our lives to perfectly love us.

Most recently, he was blessed with his first grandchild, Truly. He was fascinated by her, and having her in his life profoundly changed his perspective again. He was looking forward to watching her grow.

Craig is survived by his loving family: wife, Brenda Darrow-Fuhs; children, Clint (Nicole) Fuhs of Longmont, CO, Jason Fuhs of Longmont, CO, Alan (Kristin) Fuhs of Chicago, IL; a precious grandchild, Truly; one sister, Diane of Elgin, IL; pups Bo and Roo; cats Pete and Delmar; and many wonderful nieces, nephews, extended family members and friends. In addition to his parents, Craig was preceded in death by his brother David Fuhs, and loyal pups Dillon, Ames and Trumen.

A private celebration of life event will take place at Longtucky Spirits on Sunday August 26.

To honor his memory, we invite donations to causes which share his passion and values. Thank you in advance for donating in his honor.

Southwest English Setter Rescue: https://www.facebook.com/donate/454989521663521/

An organization dedicated to rescuing abandoned and neglected English Setters throughout the SW United States.

Electronics Foundation (EFF.org):https://www.facebook.com/donate/528796394216853/

The EFF is an organization that advocates for civil rights in our increasingly digital world. Privacy, free expression, and protecting innovation against special or corrupt interests.