Robert Keagle CRAIG

CRAIG, Robert Keagle September 18, 1934 - February 17, 2016 Robert "Bob" Craig died on Wednesday, February 17, 2016, after a short, but brave and, at times, even humorous fight with pancreatic cancer. Bob was born in San Francisco to William Joseph Craig and Claudine Winifred Keagle. He had one brother and a sister, Joanne. He and Joanne were the closest of siblings and spent their childhood sticking to and up for each other through tough times. He attended Washington High School in San Francisco and went to work for Pacific Bell right after graduation. He worked for 39 years, first as a field technician and later as a supervisor. After retirement, he did a shorter stint for Raychem as a consultant for several more years before hanging up his work clothes for good. But one of his first jobs might have been his favorite. As a teenage ticket seller at the Alexandria Theatre in San Francisco, he used to let his good friends like Joan Garnett in for free, but only if they walked in backwards so it looked like they were walking out to avoid detection. Bob married the first time soon after high school and had three children he was always close to and adored to the end, John, Steve, and Denise. They moved in 1967 to Eastside Sonoma, where he was able to raise the horses he loved so much. He hunted every year to the same place at Marble Mountain with friends Jack Garnett and Bob Fontes and later with his sons, son-in-law, and grandson. And even when packing in and hunting were no longer physically practical, the old friends would make their way up the ridge and sit around the campfire telling stories, nurturing the friendships that were lifelong gifts to all of them. He married his second wife and best friend, Donna, in 1983 and began their 32-year life together. They traveled, moved to Cotati, bought a second house in Arizona, and trekked back and forth chasing the warm weather they loved so much, but family was always the most important thing to them. They hosted holidays and countless milestones for many years at their home in Cotati. He said before he passed that the years after he married her were his happiest. Bob was a compassionate and emotional man who seldom lost his temper and rarely met a joke he didn't like. He brought a sense of humor to most of life's challenges, often seeing the lighter side in difficult situations, even his final cancer diagnosis. He leaves behind his wife, Donna, and a grateful and loving extended family who were all, almost to a person, around him when he died: children and stepchildren John (Micah), Steve (Leslie), and Denise (Joe), Valerie, Cindy, and Derik; his grandchildren, Sharna (Jay), Victoria (Johnny), Chris (Emily), Robert, Travis (Allison), Nick (Randi), and Marina; and his great-grandchildren, Jackson, Nate, Shane, Savannah, Max, Tyler, and Levi. Friends are invited to attend a celebration of Bob's life on Friday, February 26 , 2016, from 12:00 - 4:00 p.m. at the Moose Lodge, 20580 Broadway, in Sonoma. In lieu of flowers, Bob's family would appreciate a donation to the Sonoma CHANGE Program. CHANGE provides housing, veterinary care, farrier care, and adoption services for horses in law enforcement custody. Donate online: www.sonomachangeprogram.com/form/remembrance-donation, by phone at 707-570-7050, or by mail to P.O. Box 64, Vineburg, CA 95487.