Terrence Nathanial Craig

Terrence Nathaniel Craig, 92, of Brush Prairie, Washington passed away peacefully Saturday evening, October 11th. He was surrounded by his family and loved ones. Born in Seattle, June 22, 1933 to Charles Comstock Craig and Mary Edna Craig (née Young), Terry was the youngest of five brothers - Roland, Chuck, Keith and Gordon precede him in death.

He attended school in Seattle, graduating from Roosevelt High School. He held various jobs, eventually working as a window dresser for Frederick and Nelson. Terry was a sharp dresser and remained quite the dandy his whole life. He loved to race around town in his 1952 Jaguar XK120 convertible - at the time the fastest car in the world.

At age 23, while attending Ravenna Boulevard Presbyterian Church, Terry became a Christian and determined to live his life for Christ. He felt as if a bucket of cold water was dumped on him, an awakening to a new life. He started to attend Seattle Pacific College where he met Darlene Annette Lane/Rigby. They were married. As their faith grew, Terry and Darlene learned of Multnomah School of the Bible in Portland, Oregon. In the course of his studies, he decided they would become missionaries to Southeast Asia, joining Overseas Missionary Fellowship (formally known as China Inland Mission founded by Hudson Taylor).

They sailed from Seattle to Asia aboard the ship Oriana in 1964, eventually arriving in Singapore. Terry and Darlene then served as missionaries for two four year terms on Peninsular Malaysia, completing eight years of service in 1972. That year, with four young children, they decided they would not return to the mission field, preferring to stay home to focus on raising the children.

Terry became a semi-truck driver and began working for Andersen Dairy, delivering milk and other products to all the local Andersen Dairy stores. He continued to do blue-collar work-as a truck driver, roofer and laborer, finishing his career as a building manager at The Academy in downtown Vancouver.

In November of 2000, after 41 years of marriage, Darlene passed away from breast cancer.

After Darlene’s passing and upon retiring, Terry met and married Helen. They enjoyed family time, photography and driving around the Pacific Northwest. They were married for 22 years until Helen passed away from cancer in June of 2023.

As he raised his family, Terry enjoyed woodworking, gardening and car camping at the beach. He was incredibly handy and eventually built a house out in the Charter Oak area of Battle Ground. His faith defined him; he was always involved with a local church, serving as an elder and leader or in some other capacity as possible. With his experience, Terry loved to support missionary work and gave to those in need around the world.

Terry is survived by his children - Kerry Craig, Lane Craig, Sean Craig and Kimberley Craig, 10 grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

It is difficult to capture the breadth and experience of Dad’s 92 years in a handful of words. There were so many good times and so many hard times. Here are a few memories from his kids:

“I loved his easy humor and big laugh. Once Dad got onto a bawdy, off-color joke or a humorous topic, the laughter would flow. That laugh will be hard to replace.”

“My fondest memory is spending a rainy Saturday in the wood shop with my dad. He would demonstrate how to craft something for Mom from white pine. I did not like the tedious sanding process - we did not have power sander back then. However, I’m grateful that we didn’t as I cherished every moment spent with my father. He adopted me, and he chose to love me unconditionally. I will love him forever.”

“When I was little, Dad rocked me to sleep every night, in the big golden green sofa chair, whistling in my ear until I fell asleep.”

“I took Dad to the symphony in Portland to hear a famous cellist. He was elated, having not been to the orchestra since living in Seattle. His face just lit up with so much joy and satisfaction.”

So many memories and moments now sent off to eternity. However, the things Terry said and did will stay in the hearts of all who remain here - for remembering, for sharing and telling his story.

If you can, please join us for a Memorial Service, November 8th, at 11 a.m. at Layne’s Funeral Home in Battleground, Washington, 16 NE Clark Ave, Battle Ground, WA 98604. Terry will be buried privately at Lewisville Cemetery in Battleground, WA.