David Allen Craft
July 14, 1957 ~ December 3, 2008
Resided in:
Asheville, NC
DAVID ALLEN CRAFT
David Allen Craft went to be with the Lord at 12:35 pm on December, 3, 2008.
He was born July 14, 1957 in Covington, Virginia, the eldest son of Allen Blair and Jean H. Craft. David was a North Carolina attorney, a graduate of Campbell Law School. He was also an alumnus of The University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill. David was accepted into the United States Military Academy at West Point.
David served as both an intern and Legislative Assistant to US Senator
Jesse Helms. He was very active in Charlotte community life as a member of the Chamber of Commerce. David was a Christian, baptized at Waughtown Baptist Church in Winston-Salem.
David graduated from Parkland Sr. High School in Winston-Salem. While growing up, he came to know Richard Childress at the beginning of Childress' NASCAR career. They remained lifelong friends. David, a great fan of NASCAR, was writing a manuscript of the history of RCR at the time of his death.
David is survived by his mother, Jean H. Craft, of Eagle Rock, Virginia,
his younger brother the Rev. Dennis Craft in Arizona, and his friend, Rosemary Martin. His father preceded him in death.
David was cremated and his remains will be transported to Virginia for
final rest.
Groce Funeral Home on Patton Avenue is assisting with the arrangements.
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David was a member of The Health Adventure Board of Directors 1993 – 1998 and served as President 1996-98. The Health Adventure is a children’s health and science museum in Asheville and even though David did not have children, he cared about improving the lives of children in our region by providing hands-on, interactive educational programs. During his tenure, he worked hard to make sure that funds were available to serve all of these children with the best health and science educational opportunities possible. We were grateful for his leadership!
I am glad to have had the chance to know David Craft and call him a friend. He was gifted with a drive to care about, understand and effectively help people in need that was so inspiring. He was a delight to spend time with, and always left me feeling uplifted. We are all blessed by God’s having given us the gift of David.
I was so sorry to learn of David’s death and did not know he had been ill. I worked with David during his tenure on the Board of Directors of The Health Adventure. As I was head of the fundraising department then, David was such an asset to the growth of the Department, the efficiency of the Board, and the increase in fundraising to provide important health and science education for the children of our community. We also had a special interest in common – my son Tom is employed by NASCAR. David was so interested in NASCAR and I believe he was in the process of writing a book about NASCAR at the time of his death. He will be missed. My condolences to his family and his many friends.
David’s contribution to our community will be greatly missed. His guidenace and skill was invaluable to The Health Adventure.
David was a great supporter and friend to the Buncombe County Medical Society. He gave of his time, talent and treasure to BCMS Project Access, and through it helped assure that the uninsured were able to receive the healthcare they needed but could not afford. David quietly and professionally helped improve access to care for the uninsured in many communities across the country. Many people are healthy now due to the blessing of his efforts. May he rest now.
A few years ago, David and I were part of a team with the American Project Access Network, an initiative of Buncombe County Medical Society, to help communities across the country develop a system to provide medical care to the uninsured and under-insured.
A few years prior to that I had attended a presention David made at the PR Association of WNC and learned of the challenges of his work with the Canton paper mill. We were all quite impressed with him and his presentation.
So, to be able to work side-by-side with David on such an important initiative as APAN and our local Project Access was exciting. He continued to impress me with his energy and intelligence and I’m thankful for our brief association.
My thoughts are with David’s friends, family and colleagues.
Kathi Petersen
KP Communications
Asheville NC
I only knew David through Crystal, his wife of many years. I knew him as a kind and gentle man who loved people and had a strong desire to help others. He believed deeply in the things that mattered to him, and worked diligently to make a difference. He will be missed by so many people who were privileged to have known him. The last few years he struggled with an incurable illness and it is comforting to know that he is now at peace. He will always be remembered as a good man and he will be missed.
David was one class act. His polished looks and baratone voice made him someone to look up to and respect. I knew David for about 20 years, and always repected him for his professionalism, charity and character. He once helped me with a book I was writing, and I felt so glad to include a small story in that book about him. He was so surprized! He loved his wife, he loved God and he loved his little dog. He was proud of his law degree and the fact that he was once a Boy Scout. I will miss David, and only wish I had known he was so gravely ill. I’ll never forget your great laugh! RIP, friend, Tom Cotter
David is one of the most memorable people I have known. He handled people expertly and had a quick and nimble brain. There were no problems he wouldn’t attack and his high response in critical situations was a rare talent. He will be greatly missed.
I was sorry to hear of David’s death. He was a wonderful brother-in-law and was like a brother to me. Over the years, I have continued to think of David and continued to pray for him. My thoughts and prayers are with you now as you go through this time of grief.
I had the pleasure to work with David during the 1990’s. He quietly accomplished many things for Asheville and this region that will be his legacy. My deepest sympathy to his family
David, my husband for nearly 23 years, and I spoke less than two weeks before he died. When I called, I did not know he was ill. He did have a cough but he said he was receiving care. The Spirit gave me a tremendous inner urge to call him. We had a beautiful conversation, sweet and meaningful. We had long since come to terms with our separation but remained friends and I thought of him often and we wished each other the best. I want his family to know he made lasting and meaningful contributions to the community of Asheville and Western North Carolina, to the church, to the hospital, to The Health Adventure and to his many family and friends. He was an amazing, bright, funny, brilliant man who loved God. I will miss him always and I know his sweet spirit is now healthy and at peace. Goodbye, my dear friend.