Mr. Craig W Deegan

An obituary by his son, Jason.

On October 8th, 2018, Dad succumbed to pneumonia, a consequence of heart failure immediately following open-heart pericarditis surgery. Sadly, two and a half years of worsening health preceded the procedure. He made a minor recovery for 19 days following, but on my 43rd birthday he joined his first two children, Jeffrey and Jennifer.

Dad was born on May 12, 1948 in Chicago, Illinois, to the late Betty and Donald Deegan. He graduated from Evergreen Park High in 1966, served proudly in the Navy during the Vietnam War and made a successful career as an entrepreneur and salesman.

Dad leaves many loved ones behind including his only spouse and my mother Sharon, as well as his later-in-life partner, Miss Kim Cao. He will especially be missed by his beloved brother, Bradley Deegan, his long-time friend and brother-from-another-mother, David "Spud" Tribble, his nephew "Brizzy" and the two people he recently described to me as his "replacement heart", his grandchildren, Gabriella and Gavin.

We say goodbye to a wonderful man who was a fantastic friend to many and could be described as exceedingly generous.

In the stead of a service, Dad would ask of you three things:
1) Hug those dear to you a little bit tighter the next time you see them on his account. He believed that a rich life is one that is filled with close, loving relationships.
2) Do something spontaneously nice for a veteran. He was proud of our culture's change in attitude towards veterans from the time he spent in the military and loved to see it perpetuated to those who sacrifice much.
and, finally, 3) Say a prayer...about something. He loved Jesus and believed in consistent prayer to maintain a relationship with the Lord.

I will miss my best friend terribly. If Dad crossed paths with your life, you probably will too.