CRAIG A. VALLON

1947 - 2018

CRAIG A. VALLON

On Thursday, April 5, 2018 Craig A. Vallon, a nearly 50 year resident of Bullhead City, lost a hard fought battle to COPD. Craig was a pillar of the City of Bullhead in education and community affairs. Craig was born in Pasadena, Calif. on January 9, 1947 to Betty Jane Allomong and Kenneth C. Vallon.

After moving to West Covina and then onto Glendora, Craig found his sweet spot in the open fields and mountain sides of the San Gabriel Mountain range. As a young boy Craig hunted and hiked every inch of the foothills. He was a member of the Varmint Caller's Club and practiced skeet and trap with his best friend, Roger McGavin. For years, Craig and his family visited Lake Mohave vacationing at Cabinsite Point.

Craig graduated Glendora High School in 1965 and went to work making helicopter blades at Witaker Factory during the Vietnam War. Craig met his future wife, Denise Rene' Atwater-Vallon and they married shortly thereafter. Their son, Chance was born in 1967. Craig worked as a manager of Thrifty's Drug Store while attending college at Citrus J.C. Craig then attended California State Polytechnic University to study in the field of Biology.

After graduation in 1971 Craig, Denise, and Chance moved to Bullhead City and Craig took a position as a math and science teacher at The Bullhead City Elementary School District. It was here that Craig forged life long relationships with many young townspeople finding a mutual love of nature and curiosity about life. Over the next year Craig traveled back to California to Cal Poly in order to complete a Masters in Education and then attended N.A.U. for an administrative certification. As a science and math teacher he brought out various student centric methods of learning that were ahead of their time.

Classroom time notwithstanding, Craig Vallon moved beyond book learning to take students hiking the many prominent mountainous peaks and backpacking the valleys within the county from Grapevine Canyon and Burro Creek to Spirit Mt. and Boundary Cone. His love of the outdoors is a legacy left to many a youngster in this town.

After nearly two decades of teaching, Craig was recruited by The Mohave Valley Elementary School District to be the principal of the junior high. Craig did his best to make school a fun loving experience instituting science fairs, yo-yo contests, and intramural sports. He instigated city cleanup projects with students picking up trash along Highway 95 from the Community Park to Hancock Road. Hands on was always his motto. There was never a day that he did not interact in the hallways of his school with his students always referring to them by their surnames to show and teach respect.

Craig taught Astronomy at Mohave Community College at night. Craig loved kayaking, waterskiing, and four wheeling. As a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, Craig found time to go to the schools dressed as a mountain man and teach what life was like on the frontier. Finally before retirement in 2002, Craig transitioned into the district office as assistant superintendent for maintenance and transportation.

After retirement, Craig and his wife began their life long dream of traveling the world. He hunted and fished in nearly every continent; with his all-time favorite being in Africa. In 2008, with the birth of his beloved granddaughter, Kynzi Grace, Craig's life was forever changed. He took his granddaughter to over 61 state and national parks, and on a cruise to Alaska. After trout fishing all over the world Craig came to the conclusion that the best trout fishing was here in Bullhead. Because of this belief he spearheaded a grassroots effort to help repair the Willow Beach Fish Hatchery to increase the population of depleted trout in the Colorado River, to combat a caddisfly invasion. Craig and his wife were married for 51 years.

Craig was preceded in death by his mother and father; and his sister, Candy.

He is survived by his wife, Denise; son, Chance; and granddaughter, Kynzi.

Rest in peace, "Adios, Kemo Sabe"

Visitation Services will be held between 11am and 12:00pm for the public on Saturday, April 14, 2018 at Desert Lawn Memorial Cemetery in Mohave Valley, Ariz.