Thomas Craig

Thomas Edward Craig, 58 of Champaign, passed away 3:59 p.m., Saturday, January 14, 2017, at the Champaign Urbana Nursing & Rehab Facility. He was born on June 12, 1958, in Urbana, Il., the son of Wayne & Millie (Triplett) Craig, both deceased. Through his journey, Tom met Mary Munoz and her daughter Laura of Urbana. They became a family when Tom & Mary married on June 18, 2010. Mary and Laura both survive. He will be missed by: brother, Bill (Vicki) Craig, sister, Trish (Jeff) Craig, and his nieces and nephews who all loved their uncle. Tom was a 1976 graduate of Champaign Central High School and received a certificate in Industrial Technologies from Parkland College where he began his career in operating various precision machines. He had many different machinist jobs as he built his knowledge base starting at Deedrik's Machine Inc. in Sadorus, Illinois. He later began work at Hansvedt Engineering in Urbana, Il. He was very proud of the work he participated in while at Hansvedt. During that time in the mid 1980's, he was part of the team that manufactured parts that went into the containment vessel of the particle accelerator at Fermi National Laboratory in Batavia, Il. At that time, this was the largest research project in the world as the Fermi researchers were attempting to find quarks', which they later did. For the last 14 years, Tom worked as a CNC operator and supervisor at Altamont Manufacturing in Thomasboro, Il. His Altamonth family was very special to him and supported him tremendously during his illness. He will be missed greatly by all that worked with and knew him. At home, Tom loved nothing more than to be out in his yard, usually accompanied by his best friend Fluffy the cat. He loved cooking on the grill and his smoker, and talked all of the time about eating a great steak or a rack of ribs. He also enjoyed his neighbors, and would often be found helping with an outdoor project of just offering up an opinion or three on how something should be done. He loved anything with a motor or an engine. In his youth, he was one of many in the neighborhood that had a mini-bike and he eventually advanced to doing some motocross racing. He shared a passion for Radio Control airplanes with his dad and they both spent thousands of hours building and flying model airplanes and helicopters and attending the annual OSHKOSH Wisconsin air show whenever possible. Tom won several awards for his overall workmanship and attention to detail, no doubt learned in his machinist career. He was also a great fan of NASCAR and NHRA Drag Racing. Attending the NHRA finals each fall in Indiana was a treasured activity. Tom is a lifetime member of the AMA (American Modelers Association) having joined at the age of 14, and the CCRCC (Champaign County Radio Control Club). He and his dad could be found at the flying field or otherwise talking "shop" with other enthusiasts whenever possible. Tom was an accomplished pilot and a meticulous builder of radio control model airplanes. A celebration of life will be held at 11:30 a.m., on Saturday, January 28, 2017 at Grace Church, Mahomet. Visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. prior to the service. Sunset Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. Please join Tom's family in sharing photos, videos and memories through his tribute wall at www.sunsetfuneralhome.com.