An Old Friend Passed Away

The following is about an old friend who passed away recently.  He was remembered by many as being a former mayor of McDonough, but he was much more than that.  He was Mr. Richard Craig who was born on July 1, 1934 and died on January 18, 2018.    Richard was the son of John Hugh Craig, Sr. and Mildred Cowan Craig.    He came from a large family that is well known throughout the area.  His late siblings were Hugh Craig, Jr., Lamar Craig, Robert Craig, Herbert Craig, Larry Craig, and Martha Craig Bolien Watts.   His loving wife Nancy survives him as well as many children.  He is also survived by his brothers Bobby Craig, Mike Craig and Sammy Craig.  I remember Richard talking about his being in the US Army.  He played a key role in the sports, and political area of the county over the years.  He was on the Henry County School Board for ten years.  He loved to play in sports such as baseball at Craig Field on McGarity Road.  He served as councilman of the City of McDonough before serving as mayor.  He was currently on the Henry County Elections Board.  He was a charter member of the Henry County Moose Lodge, past president of the Henry County Kiwanis Club.  He was president of the Henry County High School Booster Club and president of the Henry County Recreation Board.  He was inducted into the Henry County Sports Hall of Fame and the ASA Georgia Umpires and Coaches Hall of Fame. Richard Craig Field is at Alexander Park as well as Richard Craig Park off of Zack Hinton Pkwy.  I remember him coming to eat at the Little Diner on Hood Street in McDonough with my parents Emmett and Elaine Moon.  He worked for Southern Bell at that time out of the building on Griffin Street in McDonough.  He was very helpful to us when my dad had to have open heart surgery in 1974.  I can still see him talking at the Craig Brothers Phillips 66 station in town, which is the welcome center today, with his brothers Herbert and Larry.  We would all usually in up at the Country Kitchen Catfish Restaurant at Barnesville, GA on Saturday nights.  Great memories from my youth. Richard was a forward-thinking man who knew the possibilities of what can be for an area.  McDonough and Henry County lost a true friend when Richard passed away.

Dr. Michael Moon