Obituary of Timothy M. Craig

On November 17, Timothy Martin Craig died from natural causes in Montclair, New Jersey. He was 64 years old.

Tim was born on November 11, 1957, in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from Dartmouth College, Suma Cum Laude, with a major in Spanish in 1979, and earned a JD/MBA from Stanford University in 1989.

At Dartmouth Tim was active in Native Americans at Dartmouth (NAD), serving as president for a time. Through NAD he met the love of his life and future wife, Therese. Together they attended the annual Dartmouth Powwow whenever they could, and in time would see one of their nieces become a prize-winning powwow dancer. Tim was also known as “The Detroit Kid” at the College’s “99Rock WFRD-FM” radio, with his own Upper Valley fan club.

A true film afficionado, Tim served as the first full-time director of the Dartmouth Film Society. He received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to research the history of Native Americans in film, which landed him in Los Angeles. There he worked for Landmark Films, a repertoire film company presenting film classics at theaters nationwide. He later worked Films Inc., a film distribution company, before setting his sights on entertainment law.

After graduating, from Stanford Law School, Tim took a job at the entertainment law firm Frankfurt, Garbus, Kline & Selz in New York City, and later worked at Hallmark Entertainment. He was proud of his work with independent filmmakers, especially for working on “Smoke Signals,” the first feature film written, directed, and co-produced by Native Americans. For over a decade, Tim enjoyed volunteering at the Telluride Film Festival with fellow Dartmouth alums.

On one of his Telluride trips, he rescued a father and son stranded at Imogene Pass (13, 114 ft), driving hairpin turns in the San Juan Mountains during sudden hailstorm, down to the valley where the son could be airlifted for lifesaving medical treatment.

Fluent in Spanish by fifth grade, Tim tutored the language in high school, and at college was a Rassias Method Spanish drill instructor; he studied in Salamanca, Spain and was a teaching assistant in Puebla, Mexico. He often served as an impromptu interpreter throughout his work and personal life. Over the years Tim traveled in Mexico, Central America, Europe, and Australia.

Tim was a sports enthusiast. As a high school basketball player, his unique follow through earned him the nickname “Arthritis,” which he embraced with his great sense of humor. He also played intramural basketball and softball for Native Americans at Dartmouth. He was loyal to his Detroit teams and could always be seen wearing a Tigers, Pistons or Redwings cap. Every game brought a flurry of texts or phone calls with his brother and other buddies. But he rooted most loudly for his son’s special needs hockey team, the New Jersey Daredevils.

A staunch advocate for his son with autism, Tim was a long-time member of Autism Speaks and Autism NJ. It was his goal to see that his son had the best opportunities and fullest life possible. He was also a dedicated big brother and uncle. Only a week before his death Tim had flown to Detroit to help his niece with the college application process and to help his sister plan her 60^th birthday bash.

Even in death, Tim was able to demonstrate his generous and caring spirit, having registered as an organ donor. He will be honored with a plaque at NJ Sharing Network headquarters in New Providence, NJ.

Tim is survived by his wife and best friend of 44 years, Therese Ojibway, and son Clinton Craig, of Millburn New Jersey; his sister Connie Craig and niece Julia Metas-Craig of Detroit, Michigan. He was preceded in death by his father Harry Craig, mother Donna Wynne Craig, and brother William Craig.

A Memorial Mass and reception for Tim is scheduled for 10:00 am, Dec. 4th at Saint Joseph Catholic Church, at 767 Prospect Street, Maplewood, NJ. There will be a Memorial in Detroit at a later date.

In lieu of flowers or as a memorial, donations can be made to The Timothy M. Craig Family Trust (a special needs trust for son Clinton’s autism support): c/o Therese Ojibway 15 Meeker Pl, #2 Millburn, NJ 07041.