Introduction by Joycelin Craig - June 2023

 

Dad wrote biographies of his parents, his own, and a few other stories in his retirement. But each began with some sort of note, so I am following suit. His autobiography which stops in 1960, was 70 pages long so this tribute website features a very condensed biography of his life!

 

What started out as a desire to hold a small memorial and write-up of a proper obituary to inform the planetarium world, family and friends, turned into an over-a-year-long project. Dad made it clear he did not want any service when he passed away. I recall giving him a frown and saying that it wasn’t for him. But as time has passed I now understand. Because his illness was terminal, Dad took the time during his last few months to have his friends and family visit, or correspond by email. It’s possible he wanted friends and family to have positive memories, and know how much they meant to him. He printed and kept many emails as I found out later going through his belongings.

 

One wish he did have was for a memorial for Mom’s family in Panama. He asked his brother-in-law, Gus Ng, to hold a celebration of life Mass in Panama at his church, El Santuario. It was a beautiful Mass that many in Panama were able to attend or stream the video. We of course thank Gus and all that he did for Mom and Dad’s family to share this special service. The video is shared in the Photos menu.

 

Throughout the year plus since his death, we have been thinking of ways to celebrate his life without a big gathering (with COVID challenges and distance being inhibitors), allow everyone to attend in some small way, and still keep to his wishes. We think we have found the solutions. One allows the immediate family to visit a beautiful memorial garden created by a gardener and friend, Melissa, who he worked with at Chaparral House, the skilled nursing facility his mother co-founded in 1981 and where he served on the Board of Directors for many years. And if you are reading this, we are celebrating his life with this tribute website filled with photos that we have easy access to (film, prints, slides - a whole other project to take on!) as well as a petite biography taken from his autobiography that stopped in 1960, snippets from an interview he had with the California Academy of Sciences in 2000, as well as memories and stories from all of you! A fun note, Dad associated his memories through cars - his biography is filled with the year, model, make of cars that he remembered throughout his life and were always part of his stories about the people who owned them, as well as the history of where the automobiles came from. 

 

There is a link to send us your stories & photos to share as well as any tributes you wish to make in his honor.

​​

Dear Family & Friends,

 

This website is a tribute to Steve, Dad, Gramps, Uncle Steve, Tio, and Friend

 

We share his life here with a little biography, many photos, and a few videos. We also welcome sharing your experiences and stories of him! It's our little memorial to someone we love and

miss dearly. 

​

Click on "Your Stories" - send us your memories (and photos) and we'll add them

to this

tribute site! 

​

--The Craig Family

​