Martin “Marty” Leroy Craft, Born 8-5-1938 fell asleep in Jesus 7-27-2022
Marty was born and raised in northern California. He attended Paradise High School and Paradise 7-day Adventist Church where he met and married the love of his life, Kathleen (Atkins) Craft in 1958. August 3rd, 2022 would have been their 64th anniversary celebration!
He is pre-deceased by his Father, Martin L. Craft, Mother, Ada D. Craft and Sister Shirley Craft. He is survived by Sister Myrna (& Charles) Brown and Brother Conrad (& Bonnie) Craft.
Marty and Kathy have four children; Debbie Craft, Kelly (& Raymond) Veilleux, Gary Tom Craft (deceased, 2006), Kimberly (& Donald) Bryan, and three grand-children; Daniel Craft, Jessica Bryan, Brittni (& Michael) Brown.
He loved his family; every brother-in-law, sister-in-law, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, friends and neighbors, and prayed for them all.
Marty was a hard working “jack of all trades” starting in mechanics with his father at the age of 15. He also worked as a bricklayer, truck driver, construction foreman, and charter bus driver. Most of his career he owned his own business in truck and heavy equipment repair. He was always proud of the part he played in helping with the construction of the nation’s largest earth filled dam in Oroville CA and the time he spent driving bus for his favorite singing group, The Heritage Singers.
Marty enjoyed boating, water skiing, fishing, baseball, softball and coaching little league. He also loved “plinking”, “hooky-bobbing”, and playing his “gut-bucket” with the Rattlesnake Mountain Boys. He will always be remembered for his love of music and his beautiful singing which he offered as his worship through the years. Whether it was his rousing song services, Sabbath afternoon singing bands, directing church choirs or “The Advent Gospel Singers” and “His Witness Youth Singing Group”.
After struggling with kidney failure in 1997 Marty was given the gift of 25 additional years of life through the miracle of a kidney transplant from daughter Kelly. He spent much of this remaining time sitting at the feet of Jesus pondering the words of his Savior. One of his favorite promises was 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. He loved the assurance this gave that Christ does the work for us! And one of the last scripture passages he kept feeling drawn to was Mark 13 where Jesus reminds his disciples (and us) to “take heed” (or be aware and watchful) of the signs of the end of time.
The last ten years you rarely saw Marty without little Annie, the 5 lb. teacup poodle who was his constant companion and “the other love of his life”.
Marty’s family will be having a celebration of life in the Lady Lake Seventh-day Adventist Church on Saturday, Oct 8, 2022 at 3:00pm (EST). This will be live streamed at llsda.com (click on live stream).
There will also be a graveside service in August, 2023 at the Nimshew Cemetery in Nimshew California.
