Mildred M. Craig

Mildred M. Craig passed from this life on Thursday, February 24. 2011, at Blue Valley Lutheran Nursing Home in Hebron, Nebraska at the age of 87. She was born December 25, 1923 on the family farm near Fairbury to Frank and Ila (Sollenberger) Bedell.

She grew up on a farm east of Fairbury in the Rock Creek Community, attending the rural Rock Creek School of District 12 through 8th grade. She graduated from Fairbury High School in 1941. She was baptized by immersion at the First Christian Church in Fairbury in November 1952. Following high school, she worked in Fairbury until moving to Big Spring, Texas where she was married to Alvin F. Craig on April 29, 1944. Alvin was stationed at the Big Spring Army Air Force Training Field during World War II. Alvin was transferred to a base in California in anticipation of an overseas deployment. However, a timely appendicitis surgery kept Alvin from being sent overseas. Mildred returned home to Fairbury while Alvin was in the service. He was discharged in 1946, in time to greet Mildred and their first child in the hospital. Four children blessed this marriage, Judith, Susan, Randall, and Mark. The couple farmed with Alvin’s family along the PWF road east of Fairbury, purchasing their own farm in 1956 east of the airport. The family also maintained a chicken operation of up to 8,000 laying hens, gathering and candling eggs for sale to restaurants, hospitals, and other wholesalers. Alvin farmed until 1970 when multiple sclerosis forced him to retire. Mildred faithfully cared for Alvin, maintaining the household, garden, and yard. She enjoyed living across the driveway from her grandchildren and designing a new house that would accommodate Alvin’s wheel chair. Mildred moved to Hebron in 1998 when Alvin entered the nursing home. She enjoyed family gatherings and the activities of her children and grand children.

Mildred was preceded in death by her husband, Alvin; parents, Frank & Ila Bedell; sister and brother-in-law, Doris and Donald Engelman; and daughter, Susan Roker.
She is survived by daughter, Judith Hayek and her husband Linus of Wilber, Nebraska; son, Randall and his wife Barbara of Trent, South Dakota; son, Mark and his wife Deborah of Hebron, Nebraska; Henry Roker, son-in-law, of Fairbury, Nebraska; Grandchildren, Scott Roker of Fairbury; Steve Roker and wife, Sarah, and two children of Lincoln, Nebraska; Peter and wife, Mary, and children of Bolivar, Missouri; Rebecca Roker of Lincoln, Rick Craig of Trent, South Dakota, Brian Craig and wife; Kathy, and children, of Shawnee, Kansas; Tracy Jensen and husband, Jim, and children of Trent, South Dakota, Elizabeth Gianunzio and husband Chris, and child, of Lincoln; Stephanie Graves, and husband Quincy, and children of Waterbury, Nebraska; Andrew Craig of Hebron; 12 great-grandchildren, and sister-in-law, Dorothy Kapke of Fairbury.

Services were held February 28, 2011, at 10:30 a.m. at the First Baptist Church in Fairbury with Rev. Robert Molby officiating. Burial will be in the Fairbury Cemetery.