James CRAFT

WILLIAMSBURG - James Craft, 69, of Williamsburg, died on Sept. 27, 2010.
He was born in Uniontown, Pa., on July 18, 1941. In 1963, he graduated from Penn State, where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Sigma Fraternity.
He began his career as an accountant in 1965 at Glidden Paint/Durkee Foods in Cleveland, Ohio, and worked to become CFO of Durkee. During the turbulent corporate times of the 1980s, he joined Hanson PLC and ran various companies as CFO and CEO. In 1999, he retired and moved to Williamsburg.
James was a lifetime amateur artist, who especially focused on painting, and could be found on the Outer Banks carving small wood figures. He was an avid student of WWII and Civil War history. He also enjoyed traveling to Europe and Australia. In Williamsburg, he volunteered for Faith in Action and was active at Williamsburg United Methodist Church, and proud to be one of the "tool guys." He loved to regale his friends and family with stories and poems.
He is survived by his loving wife of 45 years, Judith Craft; daughters, Michele Weber and husband, Chris, of Columbus, Ohio, Amy Trickett and husband, Paul, of Cairns, Australia, and Erin Craft of Alexandria, Va.; grandchildren, Mason Weber, Maya Weber, and Rhys Trickett; sister, Janielle Heeter of Palmyra, Pa.; nieces, Kim Shirk and Leslie Price; and nephew, Matthew Price.
The family will receive friends from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2, at Nelsen Funeral Home, 3785 Strawberry Plains Rd., Williamsburg. A memorial service will be held at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 3, at Williamsburg United Methodist Church, 500 Jamestown Rd., Williamsburg. Interment will be private at the Williamsburg United Methodist Church Columbarium.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Williamsburg United Methodist Church, or to Williamsburg Area Faith in Action, 354 McLaws Cir., Ste 2, Williamsburg, VA 23185, www.wfia.org.
Online condolences may be offered at www.nelsencares.com. View and post condolences on our online guestbook at dailypress.com/guestbooks.