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Jim Craig left this world on Saturday, June 6, the way he lived it, surrounded by the people (and one very devoted German Sheppard) who loved him most. His daughters, their husbands and his loyal Axel were at his side.
Born James Phillip Craig in Syracuse, New York on November 25, 1940, Jim learned early on that hard work wasn't optional, it was a way of life. Before he was old enough to legally drive, he had earned enough money mowing lawns, running a paper route, and taking on odd jobs to buy his first fixer-upper car. He learned the ins and outs of engines working at a gas station as a grease monkey schooled by the “older guys” where, after work hours, he restored his car from the ground up and gave it to his dad. That was Jim in a nutshell: work hard, do it right, and make sure the people you love end up with something good in the end.
That first car ignited a lifelong passion for restoring and collecting vehicles. Over the years, Jim would own many fast, beautiful cars and Harley Davidson motorcycles. If it had an engine and a story, Jim was interested.
At some point in his life, while living in Chicago, Jim worked at a 5-star restaurant working his way from the ground up, dishwasher to bus boy, to waiter, to bartender, to line cook, and eventually to executive chef.
In 1962, Jim was drafted during the Vietnam era, but he wasn’t the type to be told when and where to go. Instead, he chose to enlist in the United States Air Force on his own terms and served his country proudly for 20 years, retiring honorably in 1982. He served in the Civil Engineering division and later, in Missile Maintenance for the High-Speed Test Track. Jim took the same meticulous roll-up-your-sleeves approach to his military career that he brought to everything else in his life.
After retirement from the Air Force, Jim moved his gunsmithing and repair business from his garage, where it had been quietly thriving, to Granada Shopping Center. There, he and his father, Phillip, opened Jim and Phil’s Gun Shop, a partnership that flourished for 15 years, father and son, side by side until Phil passed away in 1984.
At the unexpected closing of the gun shop, Jim found a new road and a new career. He trained as a commercial truck driver and spent the next 18 years team driving an 18-wheeler, first with his with his son, Mark, and later with his wife, Helgie. He often hauled explosives and ammunition for the US Government, which honestly sounds about right for a man who never met a challenge he didn’t like. Even after that chapter ended, Jim was hauling log loads from Mescalero to El Paso twice a day, five days a week, for nearly a year. Retirement, for Jim, was mostly theoretical.
Jim also served his community through law enforcement, one of his deepest callings. He rode horses with the NM Mounted Patrol as a First Sergeant and later served as an Otero County court bailiff wearing both roles with the same quiet dignity that defined everything he did. He also served in a community role as a Chamber of Commerce Ambassador.
Eventually, Jim did slow down, not for himself, but for someone else. He devoted his final years to caring for his ailing wife, Helgie, tending to her with the same steady, capable hands that had built engines, carried firearms, and driven across wide expanses. That was his last great act of service, and it was entirely in his character.
In Alamogordo, Jim Craig was simply known as "the guy who would help anyone". He had a large, open heart and a gift for conversation, if you were willing to talk, Jim was willing to listen and then tell you a better story than the one you just told. He will be deeply missed by everyone blessed enough to have been on the receiving end of his generosity.
Jim is survived by his wife, Kim Craig, of Alamogordo; his sister, Sharon Wilson, of Tekonsha, MI; his daughters, Kathy Hopkins and her husband Mike of Alamogordo, Patty Edwards and her husband Mark of Pampa, TX; 10 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren, ages 18 months to 17 years.
He is preceded in death by his wife of 58 years, Helgie; his parents, Phillip and Susan Craig; his son, Mark Craig.
A Memorial Celebration of Jim's Life is pending with The Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses.
In lieu of flowers and plants, the family asks that donations be made in Jim's name to Tunnels2Towers.org in support of our nation's selfless heroes: law enforcement, veterans, and firefighters, disabled in the line of duty.
