Larry Craighead

Robert Lawrence "Larry" Craighead, 77, of Fort Wayne, died Sunday July 27, 2025, at Parkview Regional Medical Center. Larry was born in Fort Wayne on March 3, 1948, the son of (the late) Robert G. and Mary Catherine (Hollie) Craighead. He graduated from Central Catholic High School with the Class of '68 and served his country proudly in the US Army, stationed in Korea during the Vietnam Conflict. On May 6, 1972, Larry married Linda (Zollinger) Craighead, who survives along with their children, Angie (Chris) Wood, Brian Craighead, and Matt (Marcie) Craighead, all of Fort Wayne; grandchildren, Zach (Mallory Motz) Wood of Dayton OH, Ethan Wood and Logan Wood, both of Fort Wayne; step grandchildren, Ashley (Zane) Omlor of Roanoke, Alyssa Willour and Kyler Ely, both of Fort Wayne; step great-grandchildren, Scarlette Ellis, Everett Omlor, Frannie Omlor, Bentley Willour, Avelynn Willour and Analeigh Ely. Larry is also survived by his sisters, Charlene (Tim) Andersen of Fort Wayne, Cathy Craighead in Connecticut, Mary Jo (Reed) Smedberg of Fort Wayne and Beth Ann (Don) Folzenlogel of Garrett; brothers, Richard (Paula) Craighead of Fort Wayne, Bill (Carol) Craighead of Roanoke, and brother-in-law Dale Estabrook of Fort Wayne. In addition to his parents, Larry was also preceded in death by a sister, Claudette Estabrook. In 2016, Larry retired as a building engineer with NIPSCO after 21 years of dedicated service with the company. He was an active member of St. Joseph Catholic Church, always placing his faith at the center of his life. At home, he proudly served multiple roles as a family handyman, a talented woodworker, and an expert mechanic, but his greatest joy was the time he spent with his family and friends. No matter what project he had planned next, he would always drop everything in a heartbeat and be there to support his grandsons in any of their various activities. Whenever the time came to depart, one would always be met with the phrase "May the Force Be with You" with his warm, loving smile. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11:00am Saturday August 2, 2025 in St. Joseph Catholic Church, 2213 Brooklyn Ave. with visitation from 10-11am in the church. Visitation is also on Friday from 4-8pm at Divine Mercy Funeral Home, 3500 Lake Ave. with the Rosary at 3:30pm. Burial in Catholic Cemetery with Military Honors. The family's preferred memorials are the American Diabetes Association, online at https://diabetes.org or by mail to P.O. Box 7023, Merrifield VA 22116, or to The Wounded Warrior Project, online at https://woundedwarriorproject.org, or by mail to 207 W. Monroe St, Suite 200, Chicago IL 60606, or to Masses. To share a remembrance of Larry or to offer condolences to his family, please visit DivineMercyFuneralHome.com. Eternal Rest grant unto him O Lord and let Perpetual Light shine upon him.