Victor C. Craig

Victor Clarence Craig , 85, of Weiser passed away on Friday, September 19, 2025 in Boise.

Victor Clarence Craig and Marcus Kent Craig, fraternal twins, were born May 11, 1940, to Chloe and Lavelle Craig at their grandparents, Marcus and Mary Fuchs home in Midvale, Idaho. Being premature, the doctor did not expect them to live. However, their grandmother kept them alive, wrapped warm in a shoe box on the door of the warming oven. They each weighed about two pounds. At three months of age, Chloe took them to their home in the South Crane area.

Victor attended school at the South Crane one room schoolhouse through eighth grade and graduated from Midvale High School in 1958 where he was Student Body President. From there he attended Boise Junior College (now BSU), graduating in 1961. During their high school years, the twins became interested in music, Kent on the fiddle and Victor on the guitar. Victor entertained with guitar and singing all his life, especially country music with the Gem State Fiddlers. He purchased his Gibson guitar in 1963 which he used up until his death.

The Summer during college Victor worked for the Soil Conservation Service surveying. He was employed by Barton, Millhollen Engineering at Boise to survey on High Mountain Sheep Dam, the power line from Brownlee Dam to Boise and the new freeway from Boise to Bliss. Victor served with the U.S. Air Force and the Air National Guard as a full-time flight line mechanic at Gowen Field, Boise. When discharged from the National Guard in 1968, Victor returned to Midvale to ranch with his parents. Together they built a 300 cow-calf operation. They ran cattle on West Mountain, West Crane Cattle Assn., home private land and Crane Creek Reservoir property next to the home ranch East of Midvale.

In 1970 Victor married JoAnn Purcell. They raised two children, son Forrest and daughter Danielle on the ranch. Victor was elected secretary for the Cambridge Idaho Rodeo Assn. in 1970. In 1986 he received the Idaho Cowboy Assn. "Committeeman of the Year" award. In the C.B. Era, he was known as "RODEO SECRETARY" from Riggins to the Treasure Valley. After retiring from the Cambridge Rodeo Board in 1990, Victor joined the Weiser Valley Rodeo. For twenty years he worked with the Weiser Youth Rodeo and Washington County horse 4-H clubs as their announcer, earning him the Friends of the Fair Award in 2004.

In 1979 Victor purchased 3500 acres of the Leslie West property on South Crane Creek and still owns 300 Acres of the lake front property.

Although Victor and JoAnn were divorced in 1996, they remained friends. Victor stayed on the ranch working with his parents till the time of their deaths in 2002. He sold the Home Ranch in 2006 and moved to Mann Creek in the Weiser area. Victor spent his retirement years raising his grandchildren for whom he received temporary guardianship in 2001. Sabrina and Vince are Danielle's children. They lived with Victor sharing music, rodeos, fishing and working cattle till they finished high school. In 2006 Victor underwent double knee replacement surgery. For several years he donated this time at the Pioneer Elementary School helping with the 1st to 3rd grades Reading Program, a job he thoroughly enjoyed.

In 2016 Victor reconnected with a friend of 40 years, Barbara Grate. She and her husband, who passed away in 2014, were employed on the Frank Cada ranch during the 1980's. Victor and Barabara together enjoyed rodeos (Cheyenne, Pendleton with plans for the Calgary Stampede which were cancelled due to covid), vacationing in several states, dancing, theater and attending each other's church.

Victor is survived by his son Forrest of Caldwell, daughter Danielle of Mann Creek, granddaughter Sabrina of Mountain Home, grandson Vince and great-grandson Baxton as well as a step-great granddaughter Tara of Weiser. Also surviving Victor is his twin brother Kent of The Dalles, Oregon. And several cousins.

A celebration of Victor's life will be help on Tuesday, September 30, 2025 at 1:00 pm the Vendome in Weiser.