My dad, Gerald Vuhr Craig would have been 99 years old on
February 26, 2014. Many people
experienced knowing him. He was definitely an experience. I hope someday someone will say that about
me. Dad was of the generation that
really did do it their way.
How I would love to challenge him to a game of cribbage this
evening. It was a standard thing when we were together for a visit. As a matter of fact I don’t believe I have
played cribbage since our last game, so many years ago. I rarely won, but when I did it was a sweet
success, for sure. His mind was so
quick, and he planned his moves so well, he was hard to beat. This is why it was also hard to beat him at a
game of pool. Unfortunately, I didn’t inherit
those particular skills from him.
Fortunately, I DID inherit many other skills from him.
In the picture above you see a little boy and his mother.
This is my dad and anyone that ever knew him would recognize him because of his
“Craig eyes”. Even if you met him late
in his life, you would recognize those eyes. They were steely blue and able to
pierce like a laser if angered or if he was challenged. They were mysterious because you couldn’t
ever read what was behind them. This was another skill he had developed in his
life. Keeping things and feelings deep
inside was his survival technique.
To say he was my girlhood hero would be a true statement. He
was so handsome, and he was so able to talk to, and enjoy any person he met
that you felt his charisma instantly. Nonetheless, I always knew there was a
volatile side to his nature, so it was good to have a few survival skills of your
own. Maybe this is why I say knowing him
was an experience.
I do know I am proud to be his oldest child, the one that
remembers him as a very young man, struggling to find his place in the
world. And find it he did, as he was
quite successful in his career at Peter Kiewit & Sons Construction Company
in Omaha, Nebraska. He was sent all over
the world to complete difficult projects, and he never failed.
So I say, “Happy Birthday Dad”. Please know I am proud of you and I am glad
to be your daughter. Patj
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