Services celebrating his life will be on Friday, August 21, 2020, at the Wesley Chapel, United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, 13720 Roe Ave, Leawood, Kansas 66224. A visitation will be at 10:00 a.m. followed by the service at 11. (Unfortunately, due to the restrictions because of the coronavirus, the service will be limited to 45 people. Please let a member of the family know if you plan to attend.) The services will be live streamed at www.cor.org/memorialsonline. Inurnment of ashes will be held at Mount Moriah at a later date.
Craig was born July 12, 1951 in St. Joseph, Michigan, the third of four children of Harold and Anita (Zerler) Hetler. He always said he had such a great childhood, he loved baseball and played on the All-Star team, spent summers mowing grass for his dad’s sod farm business, and developed a love of music and art.
Craig was always inspired by the beauty of southwestern Michigan and the lake. He said growing up there was filled with ‘big pictures’ - tremendous thunderstorms coming across the lake, sand dunes like dinosaurs, mountains of snow in winter and beautiful idyllic star-filled nights.
After graduating in 1969 from Lakeshore High School in Stevensville, Michigan, he went on to study art at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. Craig graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Fine Arts in 1974, after which he spent some time traveling with a band around the country, and learned the art of performing, improvising, being able to pretty much find a key for any tune to make beautiful music. After a few years, he was inspired to go back to earn his Masters degree in Fine Arts from the University of Missouri in Columbia in 1980.
Craig was an award-winning artist, teacher and creative director, as well as an incredibly talented musician. His professional journey was a fantastic thrill ride from traveling musician to accomplished artist and dedicated teacher, and he was known for being incredibly generous with his many gifts and talents.
Craig started his design career in 1980 and spent several years working as art director, creative group head and associate creative director for KC agencies. He won several awards over his nearly 20 year career, bridging an era of great change in the design field. As a lifelong learner he enjoyed progressing from the old days of working with keylines and paste-up, through the early Macintosh days and up through current times. He had a strong belief in the power of a message when you combine the right design with the right copy - and he was an expert in typography. You could see him light up whenever he talked about it.
In 1990, Craig married Diane Michele Lammers, the start of what he always called the best thing he’s ever done. Their son Grey was born in 1993, and Craig discovered he was a natural at being a dad. Over the years he had a blast supporting, encouraging, cheering on Grey in his endeavors. He was so proud of the young man he’s become.
In 2000, Craig began a new phase in his career, shifting his attention to his love of painting, and teaching. His teaching career included drawing instruction at the University of Missouri, and nearly 20 years teaching at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas, where he taught a variety of courses in the graphic design department. He also taught at The Art Institutes International. He had a blast working with his students, his colleagues, and enjoyed using his enthusiasm of design to nurture and encourage students.
Craig also took this time to get back to his love of painting. He was an accomplished, award-winning artist, and displayed in galleries and juried art shows. His gorgeous, over-sized paintings were full of color and spirit. He connected art with music and his paintings were all inspired by the colors he saw when listening to various forms of music. He had many private installations and participated in shows including the Plaza, Westport and Brookside Art shows in Kansas City, and nearly always sold out.
Craig loved painting and said he loved abstract because it gave him more possibilities. He would always say that after starting with color, he would follow the painting as it would take it’s own life - it became a color chord that had meaning. He wanted his paintings to be spiritually uplifting, a result of the process of his love of color and forms and inspired by his connection between art and music.
Craig was a humble dude, but always ready with a smile and laugh. He was known for his style, working back in the days when suits and ties were the norm, all the way through the casual era. He was known as a ‘dapper dresser’ from his glasses to his shoes.
Craig had several pets in his childhood, but always spoke of one that was extra special - “Euphrates” the cocker spaniel. Craig loved to share stories of Euphrates, and how he’d trained him to jump into his arms when he saw him. Later, a sheltie named “King” joined the family in 2003 - Craig felt every boy needed a dog growing up. When Grey left for college, King became attached to Craig and went everywhere with him, especially as more and more drive-thru experiences popped up. For years, the pair were easily recognizable in the old convertible tooling around town running errands and grabbing treats, since King always had to sit 'shotgun' when the top was down.
Craig came from a musical family. Both his parents performed in bands and his younger brother made a career of it. Craig was a pretty decent piano player and could beat a drum, but his first love was guitars. He was a talented and versatile musician, and nearly every day, if he was feeling good, he enjoyed picking up and playing along with tunes, especially from BB King or JJ Cale. Evenings at the Hetler home nearly always included listening to Craig playing gentle tunes on his guitars.
Craig lived and believed in the Boy Scout code to ‘always leave things better than you found them.’ He let that guide him through his many different accomplishments and adventures. He certainly made that true in his life, leaving behind a legacy that blessed so many people. He was generous and free with his time, his talents and his kindness. He was a natural teacher, patient and with a great sense of humor & dry wit. If you asked him for help, he was always there, whether a paint brush or hammer, sage advice, or just good, easy company. He will be greatly missed.
The family wishes to send heartfelt thanks to his doctors, nurses and caring and excellent staff at the KU Medical Center for their wonderful care during his last weeks. They also send their deepest gratitude for the many prayers and messages extended over the last few weeks by so many.
Memorial contributions may be made to the JCCC Foundation at https://www.jccc.edu/about/foundation/forms/donation-form.html The family will be creating a scholarship for graphic design students in Craig's name. Please note Craig Hetler's name on your gift.
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