Bruce E. Craft (1924-2009)
Bruce E. Craft, 84, of Ashland, passed away on June 9, 2009.
He was born in Ashland on Sept. 19, 1924. He was the son of Henry and Eliza Mae Craft (both deceased). Besides his parents, he was predeceased by his brothers, William, Kenneth and Henry Jr., and his sisters, Anna, Betty Lou and Juanita Woods.
Bruce played basketball and baseball for Ashland High School and basketball at Ashland Junior College and Transylvania University. He enlisted in the Army during World War II and served primarily in France and England. Upon his discharge from the Army, he played semi-pro basketball with the Cleveland Clowns and later returned to Ashland.
He was very active in various Ashland sports programs as a coach and player. He coached the Hager Elementary Wildcat basketball teams to eight championships during the 1950s and early '60s and was the catcher for the McClures Restaurant fast-pitch softball state champions in the early '60s.
He retired as a timekeeper from Ashland Oil in 1987 after 28 years and until the time of his death, he still greeted fellow refinery retirees by their "clock numbers" instead of their names. He also retired earlier this year from the City of Ashlands Parks and Recreation Department, where he was its recreation director for 16 years.
He was an avid and tireless supporter of Ashland civic and community development projects, especially those related to Central Park, where he spent a great deal of his childhood. He was a member of the Ashland Park Board for 24 years and was instrumental in the development of Central Parks Winter Wonderland, the construction of its ice skating rink and the tree replacement program.
He was also instrumental in coordinating Ashlands New Year's Eve celebration, Poage Landing Days, Summer Motion, the Professor Ross Tennis Tournament and the Kentucky Senior Games in Ashland. He was awarded two keys to the city of Ashland for his efforts as a volunteer, and the tennis courts in Central Park are named after him. He was a well-respected horse racing handicapper who won Keeneland's Handicapping Challenge by one of the widest margins in the contests history.
He is survived by a son, Marc (Lynne) Craft of Georgetown, Ky.; a daughter, Sharon Craft Crissey of Lexington, Ky.; a sister-in-law, Betty Craft of Ashland, Ky.; two nephews, Mike (Kay) Craft of Bowling Green, Ky., and Tommy (Shanel) Craft of Huntersville, N.C.; two nieces, Carolyn (Art) McCullough of Birmingham, Ala., and Cathy (Tim) Fraley of Ashland; two grandsons, Alden Crissey of Plano, Texas, and Chris (Sara) Clark of Lexington; two granddaughters, Hannah (Foster) Barton of London, England, and Lauren (Carlos) Ayveta of Washington, D.C.; a great-granddaughter, Mallory Barton; and a very special person, Nina Carey.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Central Park Bandstand, weather permitting, with the Rev. Charles Stewart officiating. Burial will be in Dixon Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Mike Craft, Tommy Craft, Steve Gilmore, Greg Roe, Duke Sheridan and Randy Miller. Honorary pallbearer will be the late Wendell Banks.
Visitation will be from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday at Steen Funeral Home-Central Avenue Chapel in Ashland.
Funeral services will be at the funeral home in case of inclement or excessively warm weather.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the City of Ashland Park Board, 1700 Greenup Ave., Ashland, KY 41101 for tennis court maintenance or the purchase of replacement beechnut trees in the park or Community Hospice, 1538 Central Ave., Ashland, KY 41101.
Condolences may be sent to www.steenfuneralhomes.com.
