Since meeting Craig on May 14th, I’ve added more than a dozen new restaurants to my list around central Ohio (including Ramsey’s Pizza in Marysville with its sausage-crust pizza) and collected half a dozen inspirational quotes from our messages. Some are heartfelt, like, “I admire people who choose to shine even after all the storms they have been through.” Others are sharp and humorous: “Some people should carry a plant around to replace the oxygen they waste.” Together, the quotes capture Craig perfectly: upbeat, quick-witted, and endlessly entertaining. 

Craig keeps a collection of quotes and sayings saved in his phone and sends them to people simply to brighten their day. It is a small gesture, but one that reflects how he moves through life: intentionally and fully engaged with the people around him. Sitting across from him at Jason’s Deli in Dublin, Ohio, it quickly became clear that Craig does not participate in life, he experiences it greatly. 

Craig was born in Davenport, Iowa and worked in 10 different states in a single year, 1982, as an electrician before moving to Ohio. In Ohio, he became a ski instructor and sales manager. Outside of his professional career, he is also a passionate foodie and runs a catering business. If you have a question about cooking, food, or electricity, Craig is the person to call. Craig listens first, then finds solutions that fit people’s lives. That adaptability, he says, is what allowed him to move so naturally between careers and mentor future sales teams along the way. 

Craig’s passion for food began with frustration. After being diagnosed with diabetes, Craig grew tired of bland diabetic cookbooks and decided to take matters into his own hands. He researched and experimented with recipes until he learned how to cook food that supported his health while still being enjoyable. What began as necessity evolved into creativity, eventually growing into both a foodie Facebook page and a catering business. 

That same mindset shaped another lifelong passion: skiing. Skiing is an activity he and his wife of 42 years, Deb, share. The two met at a bar, and only two weeks into dating Craig confidently told her, “I’m going to marry you.” Five months later, they settled down together in central Ohio despite careers that required extensive travel. Determined to keep skiing a part of their lives, Craig became a ski instructor at Mad River Mountain, creating an affordable way for their growing family to spend time together on the slopes. Craig has always approached life with the same philosophy: jump in fully and figure it out along the way. 

That decisiveness became especially important in 2022, when a chronic cough unexpectedly changed the trajectory of his life. During further evaluation, a pulmonologist found that Craig also required a cardiac bypass surgery. Time was tight as the doctor was about to leave for two weeks, and Craig had a trip to Hawaii planned only eight weeks later. Craig’s response was immediate: “Can we do it tomorrow?” 

Medical challenges were nothing new to Craig. Prior to this, he had already undergone three neck surgeries for herniated discs, including one complicated situation where a screw had pierced the stabilizing plate in his neck. Craig kept records and photos ready to advocate for himself. Throughout every setback, he maintained the same humor and resilience that define his personality. 

As his lung disease progressed, daily life became increasingly difficult. He relied heavily on oxygen, often feeling exhausted and short of breath. At one point, his pulmonologist suggested that staying on oxygen and medication would provide a better quality of life than pursuing a transplant. Craig, however, was not interested in merely surviving on the sidelines of his own life. By then, he required four to five liters of oxygen at rest and up to eight liters while exercising. Faced with another major decision, he chose action again and headed to The Ohio State University Medical Center Transplant Center for a second opinion and eventual single lung transplant. 

Once approved as a transplant candidate, Craig approached the process with the same determination he brought to every other challenge. He organized every appointment into a spreadsheet and completed 25 appointments in a single month. The transplant committee approved him in mid-June, insurance approval followed on July 1, 2025, and only eight days later, on July 9, he received the call. Then, just a week after surgery, he was back home. 

Even after post-transplant complications, his focus never shifted away from living fully. Today, he and his wife travel to Florida, with a trip to Amsterdam in 2027 and their eyes set on a trip to Ireland in 2028. 

Craig talks about life the same way he approaches it: directly, honestly, and with humor. During our conversation, he said something that seemed to summarize not only his transplant journey, but his entire philosophy: “You’re going to run out of time before you run out of money.” 

Then, with the confidence of someone who has repeatedly chosen to live rather than retreat, he added: “Attitude makes the difference.”