Mr. Craig Richards Erekson

Craig Richards Erekson, 69, of Winder, Georgia, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, from heart complications.

Craig was born on July 24, 1955 in Provo, Utah. He was the second of four children born to Joan Lafount Richards and Paul Webb Erekson. He grew up in various places including Utah, Idaho, California, Peru, and Muscatine, Iowa where he helped his dad build the family dream home and graduated high school. He served a 2-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Hong Kong where he learned to speak fluent Cantonese.

When he returned from his mission, he attended BYU. While attending college, he lived with his grandparents, Elsie and Carl Richards, to cook and help take care of them. He also worked with his uncle fixing and replacing roofs and fell in love with roofing. He loved working outside with his hands, fixing and making things better. He pulled out of college and decided to pursue roofing as a career.

He met Lisa Colleen Carter, and they were married in Salt Lake City, Utah on April 13, 1982. They had 2 children in Utah and then decided to move to Georgia, where Craig’s parents and sister were living and where he could roof year-round. They had 3 more children in Georgia. Craig and Lisa divorced in 2007.

Craig had great enthusiasm, energy, and interest in life. He was very active both in work and in play. He was a creative problem-solver and always inventing something useful. He was an avid entrepreneur, and, while he was always involved in roofing (Craig Erekson Roofing), he also pursued other independent business ventures including a custom key chain store (State Your Name America) and a vending machine business (Goliath Gumballs).

Craig had a life-long love of swimming, boating, and water skiing. He loved to get to the lake early to ski when the water was ‘like glass.’ He taught all his children to swim and summer was filled with trips to pools, water parks, and Lake Lanier with his ski boat.

In 2016 he met Geidy Josefina Guevara Dum from Los Teques, Venezuela. They fell in love, and he brought her and her 2 children to the United States. They married on June 9, 2018 and built a beautiful life together in Georgia. Craig and Geidy were very active and loving grandparents, visiting family in Idaho often. They traveled together, exploring places like Puerto Rico, Mexico, Dominican Republic, and Columbia. They were very much in love.

Craig loved his work and remained actively working his entire life. He loved to learn and constantly read books and listened to podcasts. Those who didn’t know him might have thought he was very serious, but his humor was quick and goofy. He was always up for an adventure and loved spending time with his children and grandchildren. He was very generous and always worked to make the world a better place.

He is survived by his wife, Geidy and his 2 step-children, Geiler and Jesus of Winder, Georgia, and his 5 children and spouses: Savannah (Stan) Rigby, Idaho; Kayleen (Rex) Rexburg, Idaho; BreeAnn (Joe) Rexburg, Idaho; Levi from Suwanee, Georgia; Adam (LiMing) Rexburg, Idaho; and 14 grandchildren. He is also survived by his father Paul Erekson, his brother Jon Erekson, and his sisters Lori Joyner and Lisa Johns. His mother Joan Erekson preceded him in death.

We will miss Craig deeply. His memory lives on in his generosity, the way he lived life, and the love he gave.

Maddox-Carter Memorial Home, Winder, is entrusted with the arrangements.