Bartlett (Bart) Dodd Craft, 82, of Bradenton, Florida, (formerly of Miamisburg, Ohio), died peacefully on August 6, 2019. He was born August 7, 1936 in Port Jefferson, New York, and joins in heaven his father and mother Mary Bartlett and Dodd Craft; sister Joan (Craft) Smith; nephew Mark Smith; and beloved son Joel Craft.
Survivors include wife Marilyn (Schultz) Craft of Bradenton, Florida, (formerly of Miamisburg, Ohio); son Darryl Craft (Candy) of Largo, FL; daughter Laurie (Craft) Layman (Jason) of Centerville; nieces Sandy (Smith) Klareich and Wendy (Smith); grandchildren Brooke and Lucas Layman and Ethan Craft; Marilyn’s daughter Sandy (Lawson) Evans (Gary) of Miamisburg and daughter Connie (Lawson) Westfall of Centerville; Marilyn’s sons Allen and Scott Lawson; Marilyn’s grandchildren Matt Evans, Michelle Evans, Brandon Blaquiere, and Lauren and Lynsee Lawson; Marilyn’s great grandchildren Ryan, Lincoln and Nora Evans, and Harvey and Avery Blaquiere.
Bart was a 1954 graduate of Walt Whitman High School in Huntington Station, New York, and 1958 graduate of St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. Bart’s gifting in math and science showed up early. When he was in high school on Long Island, Bart earned one of the highest scores in the state on New York’s rigorous Regents Geometry exam. One of his proofs was marked incorrect, and he insisted to his educator parents that his proof was valid. He and his parents challenged the state of New York–and won! He parlayed this gift into academic scholarships, a college degree in Chemistry, and a coveted position as an analytical research chemist, working at Mound Laboratories on top-secret projects for the U.S. Department of Energy.
He was an excellent provider. His family enjoyed a solid, safe home, vacations, restaurant meals, gifts, and so much more. Bart sent his three children to Europe and to college. He loved preparing meals for his family, such as stew, lasagna, tacos, twice-baked potatoes, and stir fry. He cherished eating breakfast at The Koffee Kup in Miamisburg and at Judy’s Restaurant in Bradenton, Florida. He thouroughly enjoyed going to Grand Lake Saint Mary’s, Saint Mary’s, Ohio, to the mobile home at Cozy Campground that he and Marilyn bought and taking the pontoon boat over Montezuma Bay to the Moose Lodge in Celina, OH. The entire family would go on occasional weekends and cherished grilling out and laughing to no end.
He collected things he loved: beer cans; Louis L’Amour western novels; Popular Science, Popular Mechanics and National Geographic magazines; and license plates from all places he’d lived. To make people smile and laugh, he wore lederhosen annually at LeSourdsville Lake company picnics. One of his favorite pastimes was woodworking in his shop while puffing on a Swisher Sweets cigar or a pipe. After retiring from Mound Laboratories, he worked part-time making and assembling cabinetry for Thomas Cabinet Shop in West Carrollton.
When she was in middle school, his daughter Laurie became interested in track and field, and soon thereafter, both of Laurie’s brothers caught the “running bug.” Bart responded supportively by immersing himself deeply into every aspect of track & field and cross-country, a commitment that was evidenced in taking all three of his children all over the country for meets in order to pursue his childrens’ passion for running. He sacrificied many weekends for years - spanning from 1979 through 1988 - with the Mound City Dashers track club and Miamisburg High School track & field and cross-country teams, and later became a top track and field official.
A gathering of family and friends will be held from 12 PM to 2 p.m. on Saturday September 14, 2019, at Gebhart-Schmidt-Parramore funeral home, 508 E. Linden Ave., Miamisburg. Funeral services will directly follow at 2 PM. Burial and graveside service will follow the funeral service at Hillgrove Cemetery, 1002 E. Central Ave., Miamisburg, OH. The family invites you to Bart’s Celebration of Life after the graveside service at the American Legion, 35 N. Main St., Miamisburg.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial donations may be made to either the American Diabetes Association https://diabetes.org or Mooseheart www.mooseheart.org. Personal condolences may be expressed to the family by visiting Bart’s online memorial at www.gebhartschmidtparramore.com.
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