Fred William Craig

1942 - 2020

Fred William Craig

January 13, 1942 - December 28, 2020

Fred William Craig, of Hickory, passed away due to COVID-19, Monday, Dec. 28, 2020, in the 78th year of his life.

Fred was born in Caldwell County, Jan. 13, 1942, to Carolyn Cook Craig, and the late Floyd Craig. He was preceded in death by his son, Shannon Tris Craig; wife, Charlotte Craig; father, Floyd; and brothers, Dennis and Wayne Craig.

Fred attended Hudson High School and Caldwell Community College. He started work as an upholsterer, and while still in his 20s, started his own furniture business named Holiday Furniture Company. His continued hard work, and dedication to realizing his dream to be an entrepreneur led to his founding of Hickory Furniture Sales, serving customers throughout the Southeast, and in various parts of the United States.

As years went by, Fred decided to leave the furniture industry and pursue yet another dream: becoming a homebuilder. He and Charlotte worked together in both careers and their partnership led to creating beautiful homes for families. They also developed many close friendships through their collaborative efforts – and those friendships have been evident in the love and support shown to his family, both during his COVID illness and his death.

After Charlotte passed away, Fred stayed busy. He continued to care for his Mother of 102 years, and spend time with his own children and grandchildren. He was a model son, wonderful and loving friend, father and grandfather. He golfed, travelled, and did all he could to stay busy, productive, and help his friends, family and community. His recent deep affection and friendship for Jane Broyhill was known to be a bright spot in his life.

Fred leaves behind a saddened but loving family. His son, Ronnie (Joanne) Craig of Huntersville, and their three children, Billy, Ben and Emily Craig; daughter Tammy (Frank) Bowdoin, of Newport News, Va.; mother, Carolyn Cook Craig of Granite Falls; sisters, Mildred (Terry) Hall of Taylorsville, and Wanda (Johnny Heffner) of Valdese.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that anyone wishing to honor Fred, give a charitable donation to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital – 800 – 608-3023; stjude.org/donate. This hospital treats children with cancer and many other terminal diseases; giving hope and life to so many. It was a hospital Fred believed in; and he was a regular donor to SJH after the death of his son, Shannon.

The family wishes to thank so many of his friends and extended family who have shown continued love, support and given assistance in dealing with the many aspects of this loss.

A memorial service to honor Fred's life will be held at 1 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, at Bass-Smith Funeral Home, in Hickory. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, attendance is limited to family members only.

A short graveside service will be held at 2 p.m., at Catawba Memorial Gardens, in Hickory. Attendance is not limited, but social distancing and safety measures are required.

www.bass-smithfuneralhome.com