Ernie Craig

James Ernest Craig (Ernie) passed away peacefully on April 24, 2024 at the age 94 in the Blenheim Community Village Long Term Care Centre with his loving wife of almost 71 years, Rose Marie Craig, by his side. Ernie was predeceased by his parents Fred and Ellen Craig and his beloved older brother Wilfred Gordon Craig (Gordie) and is survived by his wife Rose; daughter Sharon (Mark); son David (Andrea); and his grandchildren Samuel, Maggie and Ella. Fred and Ellen immigrated from Belfast, Ireland in 1920 and made Riverside, Ontario (Windsor) their home where both Gordie and Ernie were born. In 1938, the family relocated to the small town of Port Alma along the shores of Lake Erie after purchasing the town’s gas station. Ernie spent the latter part of his childhood in Port Alma playing baseball, scaling the cliffs along the lake, cutting grass and being a companion to the family dog, “Old Sport”. Ernie was born and raised during the Great Depression and WWII which were tough on the Craig family. Faced with being conscripted into the army, his older brother Gordie enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force where he achieved the rank of Pilot Officer RCAF before sadly being killed in a training exercise at Canadian Forces Base Trenton in 1944. Gordie’s accident had a profound impact on Ernie as it provided him with the motivation to obtain his pilot’s license when he was in his 50’s, inspired him to create several lasting tributes in Gordie’s memory and at the age of 87, hop into the tail seat of a WWII Harvard warplane to go for a cruise around the skies of Hamilton, Ontario. Ernie completed high school to grade 11 and then moved to Port Lambton with his parents having obtained his auto mechanics license. While working at Wallaceburg Automotive, he met Rose (Ronson) who at the time was working at the Toronto Dominion Bank and they married in the fall of 1953. Through the guidance and kindness of a few key people and additional education obtained during evenings and summer school in Toronto, he was able to obtain his teaching certificate in auto mechanics and became a teacher at Wallaceburg District Secondary School. In his early teaching years in the summer months and with Rose's support, he completed over half the requirements for his Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Toronto. Ernie found his calling as a teacher and enriched the education of many WDSS students with his knowledge and expertise, patience and fairness. He was highly regarded by his students and faculty. Upon retirement at age 59, he enjoyed daily coffee chats with friends and neighbours at the local Tim Horton’s, pursued his passion for curling and especially loved teaching his grandchildren new things. He will forever be remembered for his ability to modify/fix almost anything, his kindness and patience and his love of Rose and his family. “Old Ern’ you will be missed! The family would like to thank the management of Blenheim Community Village for their above and beyond effort to re-unite Rose and Ernie earlier this year in Blenheim and the staff for their care and kindness making his final days comfortable. A celebration of life to honour Ernie will begin at 12 o’clock noon on Saturday, May 25 at the Haycock-Cavanagh Funeral Home, 409 Nelson Street in Wallaceburg. A time of fellowship and refreshment will follow at the Cavanagh Reception Centre. There will be a private family burial in Pardoville Union Cemetery, Blenheim. In lieu of flowers, donations to The Royal Canadian Legion can be left at the funeral home 519.627.3231