CRAIG EDER Obituary

EDER
THE REVEREND CRAIG EDUARD of Washington, DC, and Falmouth, ME, died Sun., November 22, 2009, at Sibley Hospital of complications related to congestive heart failure. He was born in 1919 in Ridley Park, PA, the son of the Reverend Charles and Wilhemina Eder.
After graduating from the Penn Charter School, Harvard University, and the Virginia Theological Seminary, he was ordained a minister in the Episcopal Church in 1945.
Following parish work in West Virginia, he became Chaplain at St. Albans School for Boys in 1953, where he remained for the next 20 years. He will be remembered by generations of St. Albans students for his gentle manner, good humor, and leadership on many summer trips, whether to do volunteer work in West Virginia, South Dakota or Tanganyika, or to bicycle through the British Isles and Europe. Retiring from St. Albans in 1973, "Rev" Eder, as he was known, served as interim pastor and priest-in-charge at numerous parishes in the Diocese of Washington from Potomac to St. Mary's City. In 1975 he became Assistant to the Rector at St. Columba's Church, with which he was connected for the next 34 years. St. Columba's recently honored him as Associate Rector Emeritus. Since the early 1980's he was deeply involved with the Friends of St. Benedict, and, more recently, with the Iona Poets Group.
Mr. Eder is survived by his wife Edith, with whom he spent almost 40 summers at their home on Casco Bay; his sister Shirley and her husband the Rev. Joseph Laird; nephew Craig Laird, nieces Holly Laird and Heather Laird Beaudry; step-children Edith Gilliss Faile, William Gilliss, and John Gilliss, along with a host of loving in-laws, grandchildren, grand nieces and nephews, friends, colleagues, parishion-ers and former students.
A Memorial Service in Rev. Eder's honor will be held at St. Columba's Church, 4201 Albemarle St. NW, Washington, DC, on Saturday, December 12 at 1 P.M. Interment will be private. Honoring his great love of his many dogs, his family suggests that donations be made in his name to the Washington Humane Society, 7319 Georgia Avenue, NW. Washington, DC 20012, or to the charity of one's choice.
The family would like to express their gratitude to the staff of The Methodist Home of Washington, D.C. for the wonderful care that they provided over the last several years.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Philadelphia Inquirer/Philadelphia Daily News on Nov. 25, 2009.

Memories and Condolences
for CRAIG EDER

6 Entries

John Fenton

April 9, 2022

I am 81 years old and still remember him from St Albans. He was kind and soft spoken. All liked him and did not take advantage of his kindness.

a guest

December 7, 2009

I'm very sorry to have read in the obituaries that Craig E. Eder fell asleep in death. During this time of mourning, I would like to express my sincere condolence at the loss of your loved one and I pray everything is going as well as can be expected. With sincere sympathy to the family may these understanding thoughts help somehow to convey the sympathy that hearts can feel but words can never say. Precious in the eyes of God is the death of his loyal ones. Psalms 116:15. May God comfort you at this time of sorrow and bless you through the days ahead.

Mike Williams

November 30, 2009

I remember Rev. Eder as the Episcopal minister at St. Thomas and Emanuel Churches in White Sulphur Springs, WV, but not as a minister, but as a volunteer in the 4-H Camp program and 4-H leader program in Greenbrier County. I have given a copy of the Washington Post story from earlier in the week to members of St. Thomas and will pass along the memorial service information as well.

Andrew Bruske

November 26, 2009

In 1992, when I finished my service in Peace Corps Rwanda, I briefly stayed with Rev and Edie at their home in NW. Rev was very interested in the work I had done in Rwanda. When the 1994 Rwanda Genocide broke out, Rev contacted me to ask me if there were anything he could do, and he then donated a large sum of money to a Rwandan friend of mine, who used it to save over eleven members of his family members.

Brad Ferris

November 25, 2009

Rev kept a 2-drawer filing cabinet in his St. Albans office. The lower drawer was labeled 'Sacred', and the upper drawer 'Top Sacred.' Among a faculty bristling with stern taskmasters, Rev stood apart for his warmth, patience and encouragement. A lovely man, and a sterling priest.

Ditlev Knuth-Winterfeldt

November 25, 2009

My deepest condolences. When I arrived at St. Albans in 1958, Rev Eder was one of the first persons to make me feel welcome. Coming from Denmark, I was far from fluent in English, but due to the warm wellcome I received, I felt right at home at St. Albans anyway. He was a very great and a caring man.

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