~CRAIG J. WINTLE~ 1949-2013 On December 14, 2013 Craig J. Wintle, everyone's favorite "Trash Kicking Crusader" put Cancer in its place; leaving this earthly world after a 14 month Epic Battle with something called, Pancreatic Cancer. Craig wants everyone to know that the choice to move beyond the veil was the most difficult decision he has had to make during this entire journey; it was not because he "Gave up," nor was it an acknowledgment of defeat, it was instead a sacrifice and it took an insurmountable amount of Strength, Courage and Faith for him to move on and into a magical place, where time doesn't exist and dreams always come true; some call it "Heaven," some call it, "The Spirit in the Sky," Peter Pan simply called it, "NEVERLAND." Craig was born on October 30, 1949 in Salt Lake City, Utah, a Halloween Baby, and for 63 years of his life it was assumed that naturally this would be his favorite holiday...well, we were all wrong; he HATED it! According to his account, as a child he dressed as Zorro for 10 consecutive years in a row until he finally figured out all he needed was an eye patch and WA-LA, he was a Pirate for the next 4. His last Halloween costume was a Ghost T-shirt, I guess you could now call that fitting! Craig's home turf was Sandy, UT where he grew up and was the "Dennis the Menace" of his time. His side-kick and "blood brother" for life was his very best friend, Vaughn Hughes. Together they definitely tormented their neighborhood. Armed with BB Guns, Cherry Bombs and slingshots everyone knew who they were, even the people of Union Pacific Railroad; turns out putting grease on a railroad track not only prevents a train from gaining traction but it also is reason enough for local authorities to be called out! Craig later attended Jordan High School, graduating in 1968 during a totally "Righteous" era known as "Beatlemania!!!" Craig was a "Beatles" Fanatic and did all he could to copy their image, only problem was his hair was super thick and wavy (nicknamed Malibu because of it) so in order to achieve the infamous "Beatles Haircut" he and his friend went to the local beauty supply shop and got themselves some hair relaxer...when that didn't work he returned the bottle to the shop without a receipt and against it's walls shattering the bottle with his dreams. Later that year he decided to clean up his act, putting away his slingshot and dry ice bombs he decided to serve a 2yr LDS Mission. He was very excited to be called to the land of "misfits and criminals," serving in the "Australia South Mission." Craig brought a lot of American Culture to his "Mates" down under through his many pranks and sense of humor. He also found out very quickly that kangaroos are not meant to be ridden and Koala bears are not so cute and cuddly. In 1971 Craig met a Beautiful "Little Blonde" as he often referred to her, and they began to "go steady." Their courtship lasted about a year before surprisingly on Christmas Eve of 1971 he got up enough courage to ask her if she would be his Bride. Even after all the nights of Penny Anny and him stealing her money to take out other girls, she said YES! On March 17, 1972 they were sealed for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake, LDS Temple and he went all out planning a dream vacation to the exotic location of... Tijuana, Mexico!!! He also reserved only the best for his new bride and on their wedding night he booked the "Honeymoon Suite" at the magical "Majestic Rockies Hotel!" This establishment still stands today on State Street in Sandy, I think at the request of the city, due to its many building code violations, it has even been remodeled several times since then; Way To Go Craiger!!!! Craig was a hard worker and gained experience in many different backgrounds, Kennecott, counter tops and sheet metal for several years. All of this knowledge he was somehow able to implement in his home life. For example... no one else had an early 1980's Brown and White 12 Seater Ford Van with a silver sheet metal fender welded to the front of it...so I guess you could say that also made him quite innovative! However it was with the US Postal Service where he found his real calling in life and after 27 years of never figuring out the emergency brake on his mail jeep, he retired from the Post Office, where he always brought the people of Lehi much more than simply just their mail. He brought them things like their neighbors Garbage cans, a Christmas Tree he once drug a few streets over and he even assisted in the remodeling of the outside of a few homes and businesses! His passions in life included the outdoors where he was often quoted as saying "We aren't lost...We just don't know where we are!" He loved camping but if he was pulling a trailer you never wanted to ride with "Uncle Wiggly" because somehow it became tradition for him to lose his brakes! Craig was also a fisherman and loved playing games with his family, which always came with a new set of rules to play by...and they always benefited you know who. Craig had a great Imagination and a knack for story-telling. Often he would read to you the classic and timeless tales found within the walls of his creatively fictitious mind. These stories often included "Silver Bullets" "Headless Horseman" "Haunted Houses" and of course one of our favorites ,"The Man With No Legs!" All of his stories came with a moral or some sort of lesson, for example "Run faster than your Friends and you'll never get caught!" Sports was always a big deal as well but this consisted mostly of watching and yelling and screaming at the officials so much even they wanted to give-up because of course, another one of his passions was...officiating! He became very good at learning to ignore verbal assaults and also dodging old lady purses. Craig also loved everything BYU and regardless of the LDS churches affiliation with this institution they never found out about his "Missionaries of the Lost Ark" situation in Australia, when he tried to convince his mission president that, "two other missionaries hadn't just disappeared, they had been "translated!" And so the good people of Brigham Young University continued to allow him to "Rise and Shout!" anytime the Cougars were out! Although Craig's hopes of becoming a "Beatle "had been thwarted by his luscious locks, He still loved there music. Some of his favorites were, "I Wanna Hold your Hand," "Eleanor Rigby" and "Why Don't We Do It in the Road," which he would never publicly admit to because he said "it's not a nice song..." Surprise Daddy, you have been outed!!! His gifts which he will be most remembered for are, his smile, which usually was found behind some sort of sarcasm, his imagination, which was beautiful, brilliant and sometimes a little messed up, his quick and very witty sense of humor that kept everyone around him laughing and of course his trademark catchphrase, "That's, What I'm Talking About," a favorite among his grandchildren. "Papa" "Grandpa Craig" or "Pops" were all among his proudest titles and whether he was eating grass, climbing trees, chasing down wild turtles or asking about their "Tinki-Winkis" he was involved and creating lasting memories with them and for them to have forever. His greatest love and accomplishment in this life was definitely being Grandfather; he whole-heartedly loved and adored each one of those kids. Craig held many different callings within the LDS Church and his love and testimony for the Gospel of Jesus Christ was always very evident, touching the hearts of many as he tirelessly served them. Craig had a special Spirit about him and whether he was in the Scouting Program, The YM Presidency, Elders Quorum, High Council or The Bishopric you loved him and felt his strength; unless of course you were the kid who got hit in the head with a soda can and ended up needing stitches, or you were part of the group that attempted to cross the freezing cold waters of Shoshone Lake 3 years in a row and never made it because the canoes always leaked. If you were in either of those groups, you may not have thought it was that much fun, however he still gave you something to remember! Currently he was serving as the 1st Counselor in the Crescent Ninth Ward Bishopric where his example and natural ability to love and serve others was not only an inspiration but has become his legacy. Fighting each week to attend sacrament meeting and take his place on the stand was divine, using that opportunity to smile and pull faces at his Family was hilarious, priceless and totally him! Recently, in front of a congregation of people he admired and adored he was quoted as saying..."I Love Life" and he did. The rest of us can all take note of that passion and do the same! Fight for all you have; Never Give-Up Hope, Faithfully and Diligently serve those around you and remember, our purpose is always so much more fulfilling when we are having fun while doing it; after all
"Life is not a Timeline...It is a Divine Plan;" Enjoy it!
"You know that place between sleep and awake, that place where you can still remember dreaming? That's where I will always love you... That's where I will be waiting..."
J.M. Barrie ~ Peter Pan
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