Samuel Craig

YORK Samuel Craig, 87, died peacefully surrounded by his loving family on Friday, July 11, 2014. He was the husband of Jean E. Craig, his ever-loving wife of 62 years. Together for 70 years, Sam and Jean met in Belfast, N. Ireland, on Victory in Europe Day, May 8, 1945, following the end of WWII. The son of Samuel Craig and Isabella Irvine Craig of N. Ireland, he was born on July 3, 1927, in Belfast. Immigrating to York, in 1951, he received a draft notice within the first six months of residing in the U.S. Sam served his newly-adopted country for two years in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He was a corporal with the Seventh Anti-Aircraft Artillery battalion and as a soldier in Germany, he won first prize in the "U.S. Army in Europe's Soldier Singing Contest." Well-known for his Irish tenor voice, Sam was a frequent soloist in local churches and fell in love with barbershop singing, a hobby he pursued with great enthusiasm. Since his youth in N. Ireland, singing was Sam's lifelong passion. His fiercely competitive spirit earned him many trophies in swimming, tennis, and golf. Attending college at the Belfast College of Technology, N. Ireland, Sam was a professional engineer for several well-known companies in York and started Letvin-Craig, Inc. and Metalworking Products. He continued to work in his business until he was 82 years old, when he retired due to a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. During his career as an engineer, he served as director for the Lincoln Chapter PA Society of Professional Engineers and stayed active as a mentor to young engineers. He was also the director of the Chesapeake Chapter of the American Foundry Society from 1998 to 2004. He was a member of the Tall Cedars of Lebanon York Forest No. 30 and the International Order of Free Masons, as well as former president of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America. Sam was involved in many fund-raising activities in the York community and also a member of Eastminster Presbyterian Church. He is survived by his wife, Jean Elizabeth; three daughters, Elizabeth A. Finefrock and husband, Richard of Fort Wayne, IN, Sheryl E. Randol and partner, Scott Holland of York, and Pamela J. Gunnet-Warnick and partner, George Luckenbaugh of New Oxford; seven grandsons, Michael and Ryan Finefrock, Andrew Hosier, John Gunnet, Brent Randol, and Devon and Logan Miller; and two granddaughters, Leah (Hosier) Doutrich and Julie Warnick; seven great-granddaughters, Hayden, Meagan, and Elayna Finefrock, MacKenzie and Layla Hosier, Payton Buck, and Casey Gunnet; and five great-grandsons, Noah and Tyson Finefrock, Kayne Forrest, Max Doutrich, and Mason Buck. He was preceded in death by daughters, Diane P. Hosier and Julie M. Craig. A loving husband, father, and grandfather, "Papa" will be greatly missed by the family he loved so much. Funeral services will be held Monday, July 21, 2014, at 11 a.m. at Eastminster Presbyterian Church, 311 Haines Road, York, with his pastor, the Rev. Dr. Gregory Seckman, officiating. Burial will be in Greenmount Cemetery with graveside military rites by the York County Veterans Honor Guard. Viewings will be held Sunday, July 20, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Etzweiler Funeral Home, 1111 E. Market St., York, and Monday from 10 to 11 a.m. at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the White Rose Chapter of Barbershop Harmony Society, 2766 Woodmont Drive, York, PA 17404. www.etzweilerfuneralhome.com