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Craig Preisendorf Obituary
1941 – 2014
Formerly of Castro Valley
Craig Kent Preisendorf, 72, of Jefferson, OR, formerly of Castro Valley, CA, died Friday, April 25 following a sudden heart attack.
He was born in Los Angeles to Samuel "Doc" and Mildred Frances (Dove) Preisendorf. His family moved to Castro Valley, CA where he attended Castro Valley High School. He graduated from San Francisco State University, eventually receiving his Masters degree in school administration.
Craig taught industrial arts classes at Washington and American high schools in Fremont, and was most proud of coaching football and wrestling for 32 years. He also coached at Ohlone Junior College. Craig considered his students his "kids", and to this day they still address him as "coach". Five of his varsity teams and six of his junior varsity teams won high school championships, three of his wrestlers were state champions, some, including his son, Darin, were National champions.
In 2000, Craig reconnected with his high school sweetheart, Lois, at their 40 year high school reunion. They rekindled their relationship and were married in 2008, almost exactly 50 years after they first met.
Craig loved fishing and hunting, traveling, entertaining, cooking, movies, theater, building and repairing things. Collecting wine was one of his passions. And he never lost his competitive spirit. When a close friend got involved in restoring historic military vehicles, Craig had to do the same. He purchased and restored a 1971 Ford built M151-A2 Vietnam era jeep and an M416 utility trailer which he drove in the Albany, Oregon Veteran's Day parade among others. It was his way honoring those who served our country.
He is survived by his wife, Lois (Jaffe) Hall Preisendorf, his brother Mark and wife Debora, sons, Aric and wife Karen, Darin and wife Marifi, six grandchildren, and step daughters Jennifer Gillette and Robin Schauer. He was preceded in death by his parents.
A celebration of life for Craig will be hosted on Saturday, June 7, at the Elks Club, 38991 Farwell Dr., Fremont, CA. between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. All friends, family, former football and wrestling students and fellow coaches are invited to attend.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Craig Preisendorf
Sponsored by East Bay Times.
Father & son 1972 Chevelle SS project. Thanks Coach P
Jerry Antolik
June 5, 2014
Sorry to hear about the passing of Coach P. I was his Teacher's Assistant my junior and senior years of High School and he taught me so much that my first job was as a mechanic out of high school. I have so many fond memories of how he taught us kids about life. He instilled a love of cars that I have passed on to my son. They just don't make them like Coach P anymore. The fact that he treated his class like his kids speaks volumes about his character. My condolences to the family
May 22, 2014
Our condolences to the family . He was a great Auto Shop Teacher. Good memories and good times back in 90 and 91 . Will greatly be Missed .Dan Silvas and Family!!!1
Rich Varrasso
May 21, 2014
from Richard Varrasso - Craig was a great man. He taught me auto and metal shop. In the summer he invited me and John MacPhearson to go to his ranch deep in Colorado Blue Mesa reservoir. John and I drove there in my VW squareback, stopping at Yosemite and eating spaghetti-Os on the way. We had a great time hunting, fishing and experiencing the outdoor life of the Rockies. A life time event for me I will never forget. Now there's a real teacher!
Dave Martinez
May 21, 2014
SO LONG COACH P, THANKS FOR AT LEAST TRYIN TO KEEP ME IN LINE, YOU WERE A GOOD FOOTBALL COACH, THANX FOR BELIEVEING IN ME. R.I.P.
May 21, 2014
Thank you Mr.P for being the best woodshop teacher a guy could hope for. I have taken away many skills and life lessons because of you, and still use them to this day, May you Rest In Peace.
Jim Butler
May 21, 2014
Mr. Preisendorf was my first my first auto shop teacher. He was a great teacher as I still work on my own cars. He will always be one of my favorite teachers. I saw him last at American High school. He was retiring and I asked him if I could get some of his handouts he used for auto shop. I wanted to use them in my Automotive merit badge class I was teaching for the BSA. Rest in peace Craig. I'm glad I met you along the way.
Kathy Perez
May 21, 2014
R.I.P Mr.Preisendorf, you'll be truly missed.
Luis Rosa
May 21, 2014
A true Teacher. He not only taught the class, but gave life lesions. I will always remember the time I told him that I was going to go to Mexico for Vacation. He sat me down and had a talk with like no one else had done. It was a "This is how you stay safe and act when in other countries" talk. I remember his home in the canyon with the Transmission mail box. I used to pass and wonder if he still lived up there. He is remembered. A former student.
May 20, 2014
We never made it to see you in Oregon, but we'll go hunting together again some day. Now you can go fishing with Glenn, we'll miss you. You were always one of my favorite teachers, (Auto shop) and wrestling taught us discipline, and I thank you for that. Till we meet again, Rest In Peace "P"!
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